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Part I: The Role of Personal Desires in a Happiness-Oriented Objective Egoistic Morality

By John and Brishon

“It’s the theory of concepts that made me disagree with Ayn Rand in her own identification of herself… I would insist that she was like Plato or Aristotle and she’d say “No, I’m just like Socrates, I have some interesting ideas but I need to find the Plato who will make a total philosophy out of my interesting ideas.1

“To live for his own sake means that the achievement of his own happiness is man’s highest moral purpose.”1.5

Preface

The morality of Ayn Rand, as expressed in her life and novels, was a triumph over its predecessors. Her predecessors were typically moralities of subjectivity or self-sacrifice (for God, society or duty). Rand’s is a happiness-oriented objective egoistic morality.

Rand aimed for her Objectivist Ethics to express the morality she dramatized in her novels. She wanted a rational ethics that would prescribe an objective egoistic morality that is a sufficient guide to happiness. Tragically, due to some false assumptions in meta-ethics, the Objectivist Ethics failed to realize Rand’s ambitious goal. We believe these false assumptions have also caused much disagreement and fragmentation within the Objectivist movement.

Any rational ethics depends logically on its meta-ethical theories. Meta-ethics is the study of the nature of man, and of what, in reality, ethical theories and concepts are referring to. Since knowledge is hierarchical, wrong theories at the fundamental level, lead to wrong theories throughout. So, an objective ethical theory can be no better than the theories of meta-ethics it rests upon. An inadequate definition of man, can lead to a wrong theory of human nature; of happiness; of objectivity; of egoism, and wrong ethical theories and prescriptions. We contend that such is the problem with the Objectivist Ethics, i.e., it is undermined by false assumptions in meta-ethics. What those false assumptions were, the problems they caused, the alternatives, and the solutions, will be the topics of a series of papers, of which this is the first.

Rand’s morality is founded upon an unprecedented integration of three foundational pillars: happiness, objectivity, and (non-predatory) egoism. Unfortunately her meta-ethical false assumptions prevented her from being able to integrate these three pillars without contradiction. The first three papers in the series will focus on three different false assumptions and how they prevented the three pillars of happiness, egoism, and objectivity from being integrated without contradiction in Rand’s Objectivist Ethics.

This paper will focus on how false assumptions about the nature of moral objectivity (i.e., it being a type of epistemological objectivity) logically necessitated that she exclude personal desires from her conception of egoism, (which she was reluctant to do). This had the unintended consequence of making her ethics an insufficient and misleading guide to happiness.

Subsequent papers will focus on how other false assumptions, on Rand’s part, prevent the three pillars from being integrated. For example, the idea that biological life and death is the only fundamental alternative in the universe is another false assumption.

To correct these problems requires a new system of meta-ethics, including new theories and definitions of man, happiness, egoism, objectivity, self, volition, and moral virtues, values and standards. These are planned for future papers, which will propose alternatives to Rand’s false meta-ethical positions and show how alternative theories can be integrated without contradiction into a new system of meta-ethics, which can solve the problems we have identified, and thus lay the foundation for an objective egoistic morality that is a sufficient guide to happiness.

Introduction

The achievement of happiness requires the guidance of personal desires. The morality of Ayn Rand, as expressed in her life and novels, advocated the guidance of personal desires but her ethics does not. For Rand the dramatist, egoism or selfishness meant not only being guided by your own reasoning and knowledge, but also being motivated and guided by your own personal desires. In her fiction she dramatized this selfishness with her heroes pursuing their own personal passions to achieve their own happiness.2 Rand’s ethics rested on an unprecedented commitment to three foundational pillars: happiness, objectivity, and egoism. This last, egoism, Rand sometimes referred to as selfishness, self-interest, rational self-interest, or “the best within you”. Tragically, the Objectivist Ethics has no guidance role for personal desires because of an assumption about the nature of objectivity, which needs to be questioned because it makes Rand’s ethics an insufficient guide to happiness. To put it another way, the Objectivist Ethics misrepresents the morality of Ayn Rand. Moreover, the implicit morality dramatized in Rand’s novels, the way we interpret it, is superior to her explicit Objectivist Ethics, i.e., it is a superior guide to happiness.

Why did Ayn Rand exclude a guidance role for person desires in her ethics? It was not because Rand was anti-emotion. On the contrary, she was a passionate valuer, as were the heroes in her novels. It was not because she thought the guidance of personal desires did not belong in morality; in fact as you will see, she publicly criticized the duty ethics for excluding them. She excluded them because she could not, in logic include them, and maintain consistency with several other meta-ethical assumptions she held: e.g., that reason is the only possible objective mental method; that knowledge is the only possible objective mental content. She values as a species of idea and consequently regarded moral objectivity as a species of epistemological objectivity, and this is what logically forced her to exclude a guidance role for personal desires. The Objectivist Ethics misrepresents the morality of Ayn Rand because the dramatized morality of Ayn Rand includes a guidance role for personal desires where the Objectivist Ethics does not.

The distinction drawn herein between morality and ethics is that a morality is the volitional self’s most fundamental guidance system, the one that actually directs a person’s choices and actions longest range. An ethics is a representation of a morality in the form of conceptual knowledge. A simple way to hold it is this: ethics is the theory and morality is the practice. Every human who has an ethics has a morality, but those who have a morality may or may not have an ethics – i.e., they may not conceptually understand their morality. Analogously, every building has a structure but not every building has blueprints. Morality is like the physical structure of a building. Ethics is like the blueprints representing that structure. Just as the real life building will always be more complex than the blueprints, so a person’s morality will always be more complex than his ethics. Also, just as a building may differ from its blueprint, so an ethics may differ from the morality it represents. The process of converting a morality into an ethics is not automatic or infallible. Mistakes can be made by anyone and we contend that Rand made mistakes in her attempt to understand her own implicit morality and
represent it in an explicit ethical system. Herein examined will be: symptoms of some of Rand’s critical meta-ethical errors and the beginnings of an analysis of the root cause. Emphasized in this paper – the first of a series on meta-ethics — is how Rand’s morality differed from her Objectivist Ethics on the issue of egoism or the role of personal desires in morality.

The meaning and validity of the Objectivist Ethics and especially Rand’s meta-ethics, has been the subject of numerous long-standing debates (see Bibliography). The reason is not that Rand failed to make her system of ethics clear. As we will show, that was an impossible task. The reason is that the Objectivist Ethics is not system – not in the sense of a non-contradictorily integrated whole — it is more like three mutually exclusive subsystems held together by equivocations, resting on false assumptions. This makes it impossible to understand as a non-contradictory whole. Let’s first examine her morality then her ethics.

~Rand’s Morality Includes a Guidance Role for Personal Desires~

The morality of Ayn Rand includes a guidance role for personal desires. Claiming desires are essential to morality would imply that if you don’t desire a “good” then it’s not really a moral good for you; in other words, for it to be a moral good you must desire it. This would mean even if you know the “good,” and act for the “good,” and achieve the “good,” if you also hate the “good” (for being the good), it’s not really a moral good for you — because it won’t add to your happiness. Rand writes in her journals: “The essence of morality is to desire that which is the good.”3 This quote is some evidence she may have believed something like this at some point. There is further evidence in the following quote where Rand tells us of her view of the role of personal desires in the moral realm, disparaging the way personal desires are treated in the duty ethics:

AYN RAND “In a deontological theory, all personal desires are banished from the realm of morality; a personal desire has no moral significance… If a man wants to be honest, he deserves no moral credit; as Kant would put it, such honesty is ‘praiseworthy,’ but without ‘moral import.’…This is the sort of theory that gives morality a bad name. A deontological (duty-centered) theory of ethics confines moral principles to a list of prescribed ‘duties’ and leaves the rest of man’s life without any moral guidance, cutting morality off from any application to the actual problems and concerns of man’s existence. Such matters as work, career, ambition, love, friendship, pleasure, happiness, values (insofar as they are not pursued as duties) are regarded by these theories as amoral, i.e., outside the province of morality. If so, then by what standard is a man to make his daily choices, or direct the course of his life?”4

To state it positively, Rand is here making two points: (1) morality is relevant to such matters a career, love, friendship, happiness, etc.; and (2) personal desires are relevant to morality. Putting it together, a man should “make his daily choices,” and “direct the course of his life” in matters such as career, love, friendship by a moral standard that incorporates personal desires. This implies to be moral you must pursue your personal desires.

~Betraying Personal Desires as Moral Treason~

So for Rand, failing to pursue your strongest personal desires or passions can be immoral. In fact, Rand morally condemned two men’s failure to pursue their personal desires in her article “Art and Moral Treason” (A&MT). Two men she knew were not pursuing their passions. She judged it as “moral treason:” “When I saw Mr. X for the first time, I thought that he had the most tragic face I had ever seen: it was not the mark left by some specific tragedy, not the look of a great sorrow, but a look of desolate hopelessness, weariness and resignation that seemed left by the chronic pain of many lifetimes. He was 26 years old…Yet his frozen impersonality suggested a man who neither felt nor wanted anything any longer. He was like a gray spread of ashes that had never been on fire…I could not discover any major ideological sin, any crime commensurate with the punishment he was suffering…” Mr. Y. was in a similar state. “Mr. Y…still loved music and he owned a large collection of records, which he played frequently-for an aesthetic pleasure that conveyed no personal meaning to him and evoked no personal emotion; all the records were classics… he did not own a single record of ballet music… What I felt was a cold shudder. Whatever the root of his problems, this was the key; it was the symptom, not of amorality, but of a profound moral treason. To what and to whom can a man be willing to apologize for the best within him? And what can he expect of life after that?”5

Please note, Rand called these men’s deliberate sacrifice of their personal desires “moral treason” to the “best within him.” In A&MT Rand demonstrates that refusing to pursue your personal desires can be immoral. This makes sense for a morality that aims to be a sufficient guide to happiness, since you can’t be happy without pursuing your personal desires.

Further, echoing her views in A&MT, Rand’s views on the role of personal desires in morality appear repeatedly in her novels. Her heroes dramatize the pursuit and satisfaction of personal passions. The distinctive Randian hero is portrayed as moral, not only because he refuses to sacrifice his reasoning mind, but more than that, because he refuses to sacrifice his personal passions to anything or anyone. For example, Rearden held a personal passion for an affair with Dagny and refused to sacrifice it to his own conscious conviction that the affair was immoral; Howard Roark refused to sacrifice his personal passion for architecture to a romantic relationship with a malevolent Dominique when she urged him to quit for her; Ragnar refused to sacrifice his personal passion for delivering his brand of justice to a safer life in the valley; John Galt refused to sacrifice his romantic love for Dagny to the security of his own life, safe in the valley, when he followed her back to a collapsing world. Moreover, just as Roark gets moral credit for satisfying his desire to be an architect, Peter Keating gets moral blame because he sacrificed his desire for a career as a painter and his desire for the woman he desired. What makes Keating an immoral second-hander is not only sacrificing his thoughts to the thoughts of others, but also sacrificing his personal desires to the personal desires of others. These examples show that (at times) Rand placed nothing above the pursuit of ones strongest personal desires – not conscious convictions, not any lesser desires, not even life itself (which explains the lack of condemnation in her ethics for careers that risk one’s rational survival long range like astronaut or test pilot).

Rand emphasized personal passions because she believed that achieving your personal passions is essential to your happiness, and happiness is man’s “highest moral purpose.”6 Thus, to sacrifice your personal passions is to sacrifice your happiness. Again, for Rand, one’s strongest personal desires have moral import and sacrificing them can be a moral vice.

We know from introspection that the capacity to enjoy an achievement presupposes the capacity to desire it. If we achieve something we have no desire for (and no capacity to desire), we won’t get joy from its achievement. Its achievement will leave us indifferent or regretful. Joy comes only from achieving what we desire (or at least have the capacity to desire). In so far as “happiness is a state of non-contradictory joy,” we must pursue our desires to achieve our happiness.

~Morality as a Sufficient Guide to Happiness~

Not only did Rand think morality is a necessary guide to happiness, but also that it should be a sufficient guide to happiness; and this is implied in the following quote from her Objectivist Ethics: “If you achieve that which is the good by a rational standard of value, it will necessarily make you happy…”7

~Validated Personal Desires~

Personal desires are essential to morality because they are essential to happiness and are not some guilty secret to be evaded or frustrated but rather used as guidance. For example, the passionate pursuit of a dream career, the longings of romantic love deserving to be satisfied, are essential moral means to the ultimate end of happiness. Morality for Rand was not a sterile, duty-bound, joyless graveyard, but a vibrant passionate guide to your happiness. But what about Toohey’s passion to put Roark being imprisoned; Stadler’s passion for scientific knowledge, even if it meant an evil state would control the results of his work; or Wynand’s passion for crushing men of integrity?

Rand rejected personal desires as a fundamental. She thought, spoke and acted as if she could differentiate between valid and invalid personal desires, though she defined no explicit method of doing so beyond validating the truth of beliefs underlying desires. She distinguished between valid and invalid desires, i.e., happiness-oriented personal passions (formed by an objective method), which she regarded as valid, and those not happiness-oriented (e.g., motivated by power-lust), or those formed by a non-objective method, which she considered invalid. Toohey’s passion to put Roark in prison was not motivated by his own happiness as his highest moral value because he was a power-lusting nihilist; his ultimate end was aimed at the destruction of all moral values. His desire was invalid for that reason. Stadler aimed for his own happiness, but his passion for science was invalidated by a non-objective method of moral evaluation that included evasion, and so too his passions were invalid. Rand’s view of Wynand’s passion was a bit more nuanced, although she did not approve of his passion to crush men of integrity, Rand portrayed him as honestly mistaken in his view of human nature and did not consider him immoral. Nevertheless, Wynand’s passion was invalid as it was based on a wrong model of human nature and she made him pay the price of his mistake with his own lack of happiness.

There is no written code or guidance in the Objectivist Ethics instructing us on how to validate personal desires, i.e., how to create an objective moral value. The best the Objectivist movement can offer comes at least a decade after Rand’s death and is wholly inadequate. As if sensing the need and wanting to fill that void, Peikoff gives
advice on how to validate desires in his lecture given in Anaheim, CA in the 90s, entitled “Judging, Feeling and Not Being Moralistic”: “…The satisfaction of desire – short and long-range – is the essence of life…enjoyment is an end in itself, you do not need to justify short-range pleasure in long-range terms… why work for a long-range goal except to expand, enhance and enrich your pleasure in life…Within the framework of rational desires and long-range goals, seize the day and ring out of it every pleasure possible…integrate your emotions with your perception of reality, so that as closely as possible, you will always be doing what you want to do, and simultaneously, you are always following reality. And the key to there being no opposition is that: your desires follow from reality by the act of your observing the facts you shape your desires; and your introspection follows from reality from your basic choice to live – and you approve of it – and to live means to remain in reality. If you follow you’ll see that the inner and the outer are being guided by a desire based on reality, and facts that you perceive in reality. This is the real meaning of objective values in practical life…”8

~Morality as Objective Not Subjective~

Rand did not endorse subjectivism – just the opposite: “…but that which makes you happy, by some undefined emotional standard, is not necessarily the good.”9 This expresses Rand’s commitment to objectivity (which requires a moral standard based on a metaphysically-given fundamental alternative). Her commitment to happiness and objectivity led her to utterly oppose subjectivism, or as she often called it, “whim worship.” Rand defined a whim as: “…a desire experienced by a person who does not know and does not care to discover its cause.”10 Rand repudiates subjectivism in the quotes in Appendix 2.

~Reason Alone as Guide to Happiness — Emotions as Epiphenomenal~

Her opposition to whim worship is not soley because it is irrational but because it makes happiness impossible. “The maintenance of life and the pursuit of happiness are not two separate issues. To hold one’s own life as one’s ultimate value, and one’s own happiness as one’s highest purpose are two aspects of the same achievement. Existentially, the activity of pursuing rational goals is the activity of maintaining one’s life; psychologically, its result, reward and concomitant is an emotional state of happiness.”11

So, Rand’s reasoning goes like this: happiness is a concomitant of life; you must maintain your life by your knowledge of its requirements, and since “The virtue of Rationality means the recognition and acceptance of reason as one’s only source of knowledge, one’s only judge of values and one’s only guide to action…”12 and “basic means of survival,”13 and “emotions are not tools of cognition,”14 you must act by the guidance of knowledge gained by reason to be happy. Rand pays homage to rationality with the quotes in Appendix 3.

The Rand quotes in Appendix 2 imply that moral judgments should not be based on whims (desires you don’t want to know the cause of), while the quotes in Appendix 3 imply that moral judgments should not be based on even validated personal desires, but rather on reason alone because, she implies, objective moral evaluation is a type of cognition. Peikoff states, interpreting Rand, that in any “cognitive activity, feeling is set to the side—that it is not allowed to direct the course of the inquiry or affect its outcome.”15 But in fact, the judgment of career, love, and friends, etc., requires the input of your personal desires to achieve happiness. Sometimes Rand claims that objective moral evaluation is an exclusively cognitive activity, if so, then when judging career, love, friendship, etc., personal desires must be “set aside” from moral judgment. That would mean either judging one’s career according to one’s personal desires is outside the moral realm, or personal desires must be considered unnecessary guides to happiness. Thus Rand has backed herself into a corner.

If it didn’t surprise you that Rand considers the sacrifice of personal desires “moral treason,” it may come as surprise that there is no moral principle in the Objectivist Ethics that can justify her judgment. In the Objectivist Ethics there is no virtue of selfishness which necessitates the inclusion of personal desires, not even validated
personal desires for which you know and approve the cause. Instead the Objectivist Ethics considers, “reason as… one’s only judge of values and only guide to action.”16 On this idea your desire for ballet music should be as irrelevant to determining its objective moral value as your desire for two plus three to equaling five is relevant to its truth, i.e., not at all. Since “emotions are not tools of cognition” they are not tools of moral evaluation either, if as Rand holds, objective moral evaluation is simply a type of cognition. If true, it would mean that any evaluation whose standard of value includes personal desires would be outside the moral realm.

~The Morality of Ayn Rand Contradicts Her Objectivist Ethics~

The Objectivist Ethics holds that to be objective, the guidance of personal desires must be excluded from morality. Yet the morality of Ayn Rand holds that to be happy you must include the guidance of personal desires. So the Objectivist Ethics contradicts the morality of Ayn Rand.

Some might want to maintain, nevertheless, that the Objectivist Ethics does not exclude a guidance role for personal desires even though the Objectivist Ethics says “emotions are not tools of cognition” and “reason…is one’s only judge of values and only guide to action.” True, the Objectivist Ethics also recommends that you think about your personal desires, but knowing your desires doesn’t, by itself, make them relevant to an objective moral evaluation, or part of an objective moral standard, or a necessary part of an objective moral value. The Objectivist Ethics does not prescribe how to validate personal desires, nor what you should do with your knowledge of them that would influence an objective moral evaluation (Rand did not include her “Pleasure Purpose Principle” in the Objectivist Ethics which Peikoff describes in a lecture as the (moral?) principle that you should pursue purposes that bring you pleasure).

Since the objective moral standard is held to be a type of objective knowledge (of the requirements of man’s life qua man), and personal desires cannot be part of the standard of truth, personal desires are therefore not part of the moral standard; such is the implication in the Objectivist Ethics. This means, for example, you could not objectively morally evaluate one moral value higher than another simply on the basis of the fact that you personally desire it more. For example, a man facing a career choice like Peter Keating, could not morally judge a career as a painter morally superior for him compared to a career as an architect, simply because he desired painting more. Similarly, one could not judge, as morally superior, listening to the ballet music they love over other classical music they are indifferent to. For those to be moral judgments, as opposed to “optional value” judgments, it would require that personal desires be part of the standard of moral judgment, yet in the Objectivist Ethics they are not allowed.

If you follow Peikoff’s line of reasoning about this subject, ranking alternative careers or music according to what you desire more would be considered morally optional. That is to say, both alternatives either painter, or architect, either ballet music, or classical, (taking for granted that they are all “life promoting”), would all be considered equal moral alternatives, or “optional values” (a moral anti-concept Rand never used). Either choice would be permitted and you would be free to choose the one you desire more or less – getting no moral credit or blame for such choices either way.

Now just suppose, all other relevant things being equal, you choose the alternative you desire less. That choice might sacrifice some of your happiness, but it would not be immoral according to the rational moral standard in the Objectivist Ethics. That proves that this moral standard is an insufficient guide to happiness, which is one of our points: You can’t have a sufficient guide to happiness without a moral standard that includes validated personal desires. The Objectivist Ethics does not say how to include validated personal desires in the moral standard, so it can’t be a sufficient guide to happiness. The morality of Ayn Rand did implicitly include personal desires in the moral standard, as A&MT and her fiction demonstrates, yet she gives no explicit guidance for how to achieve them. This proves they are different moralities.

Some may want to counter that Peikoff’s advice from “Judging, Feeling and Not Being Moralistic” is a method of morally validating personal values. First, despite the fact that his lecture is peppered with the words “should” and “must” implying that these are moral issues, Peikoff never states that the advice he is giving is moral advice and Rand urges us to be as precise as we can be in philosophy.17 Moreover, Peikoff told one of us (John) that he does not consider the advice he gave in this lecture, on the process of validating personal desires, to be moral advice, i.e., the kind of advice that goes in ethics.18

~Personal Desires as Morally Epiphenomenal~

The moral requirement of pursuing one’s passions to achieve happiness was dramatized in Rand’s novels and exemplified by her life. That requirement of pursuing passions might have been put into the Objectivist Ethics as a richer concept of the virtue of selfishness, but it was excluded, (presumably in the name of objectivity). But as the dramatized
morality of Ayn Rand indicates, to be a sufficient guide to happiness morality must include the guidance of personal desires. Since we can’t be made happy without the guidance of our personal desires, this is a dilemma because, like Rand, we should be aiming for both – an objective morality that is also a sufficient guide to happiness. To put Rand’s and Objectivism’s dilema another way: personal desires in morality — you can’t be objective with them — you can’t get happy without them. This is a real dilemma if you accept Rand’s premise that moral objectivity is a type of epistemological objectivity. How did she try to get out of it?

When Peikoff says (in his 90s era advice) to “integrate your emotions with your perception of reality” it is a bit ambiguous whether he refers to something you have to do volitionally besides thinking, or if integration with emotions happens automatically and necessarily as a by-product of thinking. Later in this quote he elaborates, “your desires follow from reality by the act of your observing the facts you shape your desires…” which seems to indicate that desires line up automatically as a result of thinking. Also that is something he says in OPAR: “…think and you shall feel.”19

In order for morality to be objective, Rand thought she had to limit moral evaluation to reasoning without the aid of personal desires, yet she seems to have known that to achieve happiness one needs to desire the moral values one achieves. She appears to have conceived of no other possible objective mental method that could control personal desires, other than reasoning. Despite the fact that she said she knew that one needs the guidance of personal desires to be happy, her theory of objectivity as rationality could not justify including them in an objective process of evaluation. However, she still needed a way to get personal desires aligned with moral values that were evaluated exclusively by reason. It appears she thought she achieved this end by assuming emotions are caused exclusively by knowledge, i.e., if you know the good you will necessarily desire the good.

This would seem to save objectivity and keep morality as a sufficient guide to happiness. However, it contradicts her other idea that people could hate the good for being the good, (among other problems). Rand’s meta-ethical model that emotions follow automatically from beliefs, “value judgments,” or “evaluative ideas” as Peikoff calls them, contradicts another of her meta-ethical views: that emotions come from emotional generalizations created by a process of “emotional abstraction.” 20

Her argument seems to go like this: Happiness requires joy. Joy comes from the satisfaction of desires. So the moral values you achieve you also need to desire in order to achieve happiness. If you knew the good you would automatically and necessarily desire the good. That would seem to solve the problem. You could reason about the good, automatically desire it, purpose to do it, achieve it and get joy from its achievement. However, there is a contradiction here, e.g., it contradicts the experience of many dieters who know that our desires do not necessarily line up with what we know is good for us.

~Rand’s Blind Spot~

Why does Rand exclude personal desires from the moral standard if you know and approve of their cause? What about the possibility of a method of objective moral evaluation that includes reasoning plus evaluations that require the input of affects for which you do know and approve the cause? With respect to this alternative, Rand is silent; it is as if the possibility did not exist for her.

~The Morality of Ayn Rand is Superior to the Objectivist Ethics~

As we’ve said, Rand’s exclusion of personal desires from the moral standard in the Objectivist Ethics is not limited to whims, but extends to all emotions or affects, even those for which you know and approve of the cause. Peikoff elaborates: “The above indicates the pattern of the proper relationship between reason and emotion in a man’s life: reason first, emotion as a consequence. Reason is the fundamental faculty of human consciousness, the existence oriented faculty. Emotion is a derivative, which must be treated as such. One must, therefore, begin any inquiry or undertaking with a focus on reality; i.e., one must begin with the commitment to obey reason, in every issue and at all costs. One proceeds to form conclusions, including value-judgments, accordingly (and to revise them when necessary). Then one experiences the emotions to which these conclusions lead. In this approach to life, reality and reason are given the primary position; they are regarded as one’s guiding absolute, to which emotion must conform.”21

He treats personal desires as morally epiphenomenal, like exhaust from the engine of reasoning, which alone does all the real work of objective moral evaluation. Personal desires are present but they have no guidance role. Tragically, this means Rand’s Objectivist Ethics has the same problem as the duty ethics she decried: it bars all personal desires from the moral realm and leaves “the rest of man’s life without any moral guidance, cutting morality off from any application to the actual problems and concerns of man’s existence. Such matters as work, career, ambition, love, friendship, pleasure, happiness, values …are regarded…as amoral, i.e., outside the province of morality.”22

Because the morality of Ayn Rand has a guidance role for personal desires, while the Objectivist Ethics does not, the morality of Ayn Rand is a better guide to happiness than is the Objectivist Ethics.

So, if personal desires have a guidance role in Ayn Rand’s morality but not in her ethics, how did this come to be?

Personal desires could not have a guidance role in the Objectivist Ethics because she was logically compelled to exclude them to be internally consistent with some assumptions in her meta-ethics: (1) that reasoning is the only possible objective mental method; and (2) that knowledge is the only possible objective mental content. Here is a quote from Peikoff confirming Rand’s view that values are a type of knowledge or idea: “Well actually, value judgments are a type of idea. You say, ‘Independence is good’ or ‘Life is good’ or ‘Murder is evil’ those are ideas; they’re evaluative ideas.”23

The following seems to be consistent with Rand’s thinking: If moral evaluation is objective, and reasoning is the only possible objective mental process, then moral evaluation must be a type of reasoning. If moral evaluation is a type of reasoning, since emotions are not tools of cognition (i.e., not part of the standard of truth), then emotions cannot be part of an objective standard of moral value. Suppose you desire 2+2=4 and feel an aversion for the statement that 2+3=4. Does that make the first any more true or the second any more false? No. Your desires are irrelevant to the truth. If objective moral values are a type of truth your desires in principle must also be irrelevant to your objective moral values. In fact, to make personal desires significant to your moral evaluations would invalidate them. Again this conclusion is necessitated by the premise that objective moral valuation is a type of cognition.

If you think emotions can be relevant to cognition, here is another quote from Peikoff on the role of emotions in cognition: “He must learn, then methodically observe, the difference between thought and feeling — between logic and desire — between percepts and concepts on the one hand, and hopes, wishes, hates, loves, fears on the other. By continuous self-monitoring, he must ensure that during any cognitive activity, feeling is set to the side — that it is not allowed to direct the course of the inquiry or affect its outcome.”24

So Rand is cornered, if objective moral evaluation is an exclusively cognitive activity, as she claims it is. If you accept the premise that reasoning is the only possible objective mental method, you are forced, in logic, to exclude personal desires from morality. This is not only what Rand did, it is what she had to do given this premise which she accepted.

Her excluding personal desires from ethics was not because of her commitment to reason or objectivity per se; it was because she believed moral objectivity is a type of epistemological objectivity. It was not that “emotions are not tools of cognition” it was that she believed objective moral evaluation is a type of cognition. It was not
because she believed that moral evaluation is objective; it was because she believed that rationality is the only possible objective mental method. It was not because she believed that moral values are objective; it was because she believed that conceptual knowledge (or truth) is the only possible objective mental content. It was not because she believed the moral standard was objective; it was because she believed the moral standard was essentially rational, i.e., knowledge, i.e., knowledge of the requirements of “man’s life” (qua man).

Given her theory of moral objectivity as a kind of epistemological objectivity, and since morality is objective (including being based on a metaphysically-given fundamental alternative), she had to exclude a guidance role for personal desires in her ethics. Given those premises, internal logical consistency would have compelled her to conclude that just as personal desires cannot be tools of cognition, so they cannot be tools of objective moral evaluation; just as personal desires can be no part of the standard of truth, so too they can be no part of an objective standard of moral value, or of an objective moral value, just as personal desires cannot be essential to the virtue of rationality, they cannot be essential to the virtue of selfishness.

Rand never proved that reason was the only objective mental process. She never proved that knowledge is the only possible objective mental content. She didn’t even argue for these and never states these meta-ethical premises directly. Yet she must have assumed them or she would never have banished personal desire from the moral realm as she condemned Kant for doing.

But is reasoning the only possible type of objective mental method? And is knowledge the only possible type of objective mental content? These are meta-ethical questions worth revisiting as these assumptions logically forced Rand to exclude personal desires from the moral standard in the Objectivist Ethics, thus weakening the virtue of selfishness or egoism, which includes the moral pursuit of validated passionate values – which she dramatized so well in her novels, and which she criticized Kant and his ilk for leaving out of their ethics.

~Conclusion~

So, from the moral, dramatic, personal and psychological perspectives, pursuing validated personal desires was critical to Rand but she excluded them from her ethics. It was her meta-ethical assumption that reason is the only possible objective mental method and knowledge the only possible objective mental content that led to this. It seems her meta-ethical assumptions blinded her to the possibility of an objective process of moral evaluation that includes the use of validated personal desires.

Although reason is man’s only means of knowledge, and emotions are not tools of cognition (qua standard of truth), this does not imply that objective moral evaluations must be a type of reasoning, nor objective moral values a type of knowledge. When you aim for an objective morality that is a sufficient guide to happiness and recognize that knowledge is an insufficient guide, it is time to consider expanding your concept of objectivity to include validated personal desires. By refusing to consider doing so, we risk making objectivity a frozen abstraction, and ethics a insufficient and misleading guide to happiness.

Because of Rand’s meta-ethical assumptions, she was logically forced to do what she would have hated to do otherwise – put herself in the same boat with Kant and other preachers of the duty ethics in banishing personal desires from a guidance role in the morality prescribed by her ethics.

Having excluded personal desires (and affects generally) from morality they have generally been punted into the field of psychology. The idea of personal objective moral values is non-existent in Rand’s ethical theory, and the substitutes in practice are alternatively, intrinsic authoritarian conformity, or subjective “optional values.”25 The
consequence is that the Objectivist Ethics gives no guidance for the validation of personal desires, or sanction for their use in the process of objective moral evaluation for any of the moral values critical to people’s happiness, including career, romantic love, friendship, etc. This is not to say that ethics should give specific advice on
evaluating careers or friendships but it should prescribe the necessity of developing and validating personal desires as part of an objective moral virtue.

Rand’s attempt to turn her morality into a single, non-contradictory ethical system, given her meta-ethical premises, was an impossible task. Her ethical “system” remains in a state of disintegration and contradiction with itself and reality. It ended up in mutually incompatible alternative systems or paradigms. This may not be apparent to those who hold Rand’s morality simply as a gestalt, but for those of us intellectuals trying to systematize Rand’s ethics, they must reject at least one of Rand’s valid meta-ethical pillars — happiness, egoism and objectivity — or be either internally contradictory or contradict empirical evidence.

In conclusion, the morality of Ayn Rand differs from the Objectivist Ethics because the Objectivist Ethics excluded a guidance role for personal desires. Rand was logically forced to do so to maintain consistency with the premises that reason is the only possible objective mental method and knowledge is the only possible objective mental content. These were unproven meta-ethical assumptions which made her ethics an insufficient and misleading guide to happiness. Consequently, the implicit morality of Ayn Rand, as expressed in her life and fiction, is superior to her explicit Objectivist Ethics, i.e., superior as a guide to happiness. To make possible a systematic, non-contradictory, unequivocal ethics prescribing an objective egoistic morality that is a sufficient guide to happiness, we should question the assumption that moral objectivity is a type of epistemological objectivity.

~Epilogue~

The premises underlying Rand’s meta-ethics have made it impossible, in theory, to integrate her three pillars of objectivity, happiness and egoism into a single non-contradictory system. The consequence, in practice, is that as Objectivists have attempted to systematize Rand’s theories, in the name of logical consistency, they have been forced into different, relatively self-consistent, mutually incompatible, schools of thought or subsystems within the Objectivist movement with respect to Rand’s meta-ethics. Each school of thought can be characterized by the priority they place on each pillar. It is as if they have a greater conscious or subconscious commitment to one or two pillars over the other(s), as if to say, “If I can’t have it all, I definitely won’t leave out this one.” Herein, these schools are called The Flourishers, The Survivalists, and The Syncretists. There is another camp (led by Rand) that equivocates between some or all of the premises underlying each camp (but presumably they don’t realize it) we call them the Gestaltists. Appendix 1 is a short summary of the three schools’ positions, particularly how each school comes down on the relation of personal desire (egoism) and happiness to objectivity in morality.

In light of the fact that Peikoff (and Rand?) vehemently insists that Rand created a complete and perfect system, how did Rand make such unproven meta-ethical assumptions? You may be interested to know that, according to Peikoff himself, Rand did not think she had a total systematic philosophy. The following quote is from Peikoff’s 1988 question period at his lecture “Certainty and Happiness” (at Conceptual Conferences 1988 not The Ford Hall Forum): “…It’s the theory of concepts that made me disagree with Ayn Rand in her own identification of her self. We always would kid around, not too seriously, about what would be her place in history, and so on, I would kid around; and I would insist that she was like Plato or Aristotle and she’d say: “No, I’m just like Socrates. I have some interesting ideas but I need to find the Plato who will make a total philosophy out of my interesting ideas.” She and I argued that several times. It was just a joke because who wants to be Plato, but you see what we are talking about. In my mind, the theory of concepts, when I grasped that, that’s what made her Plato rather than Socrates because that was now the complete, total, final, synthesized philosophy resting on it’s root – other than that it would not be…”26

If we really want to understand the morality of Ayn Rand we can’t depend exclusively on her own understanding of it, as she didn’t really understand her own morality as a non-contradictory whole system. She better expressed it in fiction than in non-fiction. We should induce her ethics from her fiction and life, not just try to learn it from
her ethics.

Although creating an objective morality that is a sufficient guide to happiness is a difficult goal, that does not mean that it is impossible to achieve this critical aim for the first time in human history. A correct meta-ethics, including a correct model of the nature of man, life, values, happiness, the self, objectivity is of monumental importance to being happy and having a healthier culture to live in.

The following quote is from Peikoff discussing why Aristotle’s weak ethics (and politics) did not have the profound historical effect one might expect given the competition. Tragically and equally what he says about Aristotle can, in essence, be said of Rand. “…Because he was never able fully to free himself from his early Platonism, Aristotle’s ethics and politics…never became fully Aristotelian, in other words, fully rational and this-worldly… Aristotle’s ethics was not strong enough to combat the Platonic and Sophistic rivals in the field. And therefor, to answer a question I get all the time, so I hope you will regard this as at least a partial answer, this deficiency of Aristotle’s ethics is one of the major reasons why his philosophy did not become a major influence over all future philosophizing right away. When a philosophers ethics is weak, no matter how many good points he has in metaphysics and epistemology, his influence on men will be significantly less because men feel the influence of ANY philosophy primarily through its ethics. That, after all, is the primary purpose of philosophy: to teach men how to live. As an analogy: if you offer men a magnificent internal combustion machine but they have no idea how to use it and there is no fuel to make it run, and the alternative is a horse and buggy which actually works – to say nothing of a mystic flying carpet if only they pay enough money and go to church – they will choose the horse and buggy or the flying carpet over the unusable internal combustion machine… You should not be too surprised therefor to learn that shortly after his death, Aristotle’s philosophy went into eclipse and took many, many, many centuries to exhume…”27

This is the first in a series of articles on a new meta-ethics that can be the foundation for an objective, egoistic morality which is a sufficient guide to happiness. In these upcoming articles the following will be addressed: (1) Rand’s meta-ethical pillar of objectivity and the introduction of a new fundamental metaphysical alternative, or
fact (besides biological life), on which to ground an objective, egoistic, happiness-oriented ethics; (2) Rand’s meta-ethical pillar of happiness and why choosing happiness as the ultimate end precludes the need for moral justification without risking subjectivity (aka Hedonism); and (3) how moral affects like romantic love, pride, and guilt can be part of an objective moral evaluation.

~Appendix 1: Objectivism’s Reformation~

The essence of Ayn Rand’s morality was held as a gestalt by Rand and never systematized by her. After she died, since she was not there to constrain the result, those trying to systematize it were left with the task to make a non-contradictory system out of her meta-ethics. Different schools of thought developed around different priorities among the different pillars of happiness, objectivity and egoism. This led to a reformation in the Objectivist movement, a split into three major schools (so far) of interpretation of Rand’s meta-ethical thought: the Flourishers, Survivalists, and Syncretists, (there are also what we are calling the Gestaltists, lead by Rand who try to integrate all the pillars but having to equivocate on key terms (like life) to do it).

On The Flourisher’s interpretation of Rand’s meta-ethics and Objectivist Ethics, happiness is man’s ultimate end; happiness requires the guidance of personal desires; the guidance of personal desires is in ethics, and ethics is a sufficient guide to happiness – all of which are correct. However, in dropping biological life and death as the
fundamental alternative grounding their moral standard in a metaphysically given fact of man’s nature, they have a subjective moral standard which is a critical flaw — the Survivalists level this criticism at them.

On The Survivalist’s interpretation of Rand’s meta-ethics and Objectivist Ethics, physical survival is the ultimate end; happiness requires the guidance of personal desires but that guidance is outside the moral realm; and morality is not a sufficient guide to happiness. For the Survivalist’s moral blame could not be leveled at someone for refusing to listen to the music they loved – as Rand leveled it in (A&MT) – even if it undermined their happiness. Such a judgment would be seen as dogmatic moralizing. Instead they push personal desires into the field of psychology and offer sympathy to the happiness seeker for the fact that psychology is still in its infancy.

On The Syncretists interpretation of Rand’s meta-ethics and Objectivist Ethics, physical survival and happiness are two aspects of the ultimate end; happiness does not require the guidance of personal desires (because right desires are epiphenomenal, automatic and necessary byproduct of right thinking), and morality is a sufficient guide to happiness (morality being simply a code of knowledge to guide one to survival long-range). For the Syncretists, Rand’s leveling of moral treason of in A&MT is right, but for the wrong reasons. Since the men in A&MT were unhappy they must have harbored some wrong premise(s) (if only subconsciously); but since physical survival long range and happiness are concomitants (according to Syncretists), consistent Syncretists believe all old physically healthy people lived happy/flourishing, moral, rational lives: “A person cannot survive, long range, without flourishing…”28 This contradicts the evidence we find in any rest home. Incidentally, a consistent Syncretist would hold that if you fully know the good, you will automatically and necessarily desire the good, which contradicts Rand’s idea of the possibility that a person could hate the good for being the good.

~*~*~

Below is a collection of Rand quotes that support each of the three schools of thought on Rand’s three metaethical pillars.

~The Flourishers~

Rand’s support for the Flourishers on Objectivity:

Rand’s article “Art and Moral Treason” supports the Flourishers view regarding not having a fundamental, metaphysical base for ethics, if even only inadvertently, in that Rand morally condemns two men for not pursuing their personal desires, yet Rand has no fundamental, metaphysical base from which to condemn these two men who were pursuing their bodily survival – just not their happiness.

Rand’s support for the Flourishers on Egoism/Personal Desires:

“In a deontological [duty] theory, all personal desires are banished from the realm of morality; a personal desire has no moral significance… If a man wants to be honest, he deserves no moral credit; as Kant would put it, such honesty is ‘praiseworthy,’ but without ‘moral import.’…This is the sort of theory that gives morality a bad name. A deontological (duty-centered) theory of ethics confines moral principles to a list of prescribed ‘duties’ and leaves the rest of man’s life without any moral guidance, cutting morality off from any application to the actual problems and concerns of man’s existence. Such matters as work, career, ambition, love, friendship, pleasure, happiness, values (insofar as they are not pursued as duties) are regarded by these theories as amoral, i.e., outside the province of morality. If so, then by what standard is a man to make his daily choices, or direct the course of his life?” (“Causality vs. Duty)

Rand’s support for the Flourishers on Happiness:

“…My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own HAPPINESS as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute…” (“About the Author” Atlas Shrugged)

“…But she knew that there was no meaning in motors or factories or trains, that their only meaning was in man’s enjoyment of his life, which they served — and that her swelling admiration at the sight of an achievement was for the man from whom it came, for the power and the radiant vision within him which had seen the earth as a place of enjoyment and had known that the work of achieving one’s HAPPINESS was the purpose, the sanction and the meaning of life…” (“Atlas Shrugged” p. 674-5)

“…By the grace of reality and the nature of life, man — every man — is an end in himself, he exists for his own sake, and the achievement of his own HAPPINESS is his highest moral purpose…” (“Atlas Shrugged” Galt’s Speech, p. 396)

“…His own HAPPINESS is man’s only moral purpose, but only his own virtue can achieve it…” (“Atlas Shrugged” Galt’s Speech, p. 939)

“…The purpose of life is HAPPINESS — and if we adopt the morality of altruism, then the man most fitted for life has the least right to it (or to its enjoyment, to happiness)…” (“The Journals of Ayn Rand” p. 283)

“…I would say: Roark was happy because he spent his life achieving the things (the values) that would make him happy, or: enacting the causes of which his happiness would be the result. And — I would add — he succeeded, because his values were rational; happiness cannot be achieved by indulging random whims or by pursuing irrational values (values which might be right for a pig, but not for a man). Therefore, I would say that Roark’s goal in life was the achievement of his own HAPPINESS…” (“The Letters of Ayn Rand” (Letters to a Philosopher) p. 538)

Rand via Leonard Peikoff: “…HAPPINESS is man’s — the good man’s — experience of life. The achievement of this experience, writes Ayn Rand, is “the only moral purpose of one’s life…” (OPAR, p. 325)

“The Objectivist ethics would tell him: your highest moral purpose is the achievement of your own HAPPINESS, your money is yours, use it to save your wife, that is your moral right and your rational, moral choice…” (The Ethics of Emergencies, The Objectivist newsletter, Vol 2, No. 2, August, 1963, p. 5)

“…Since one’s own HAPPINESS is the moral purpose of one’s own life, the man who fails to achieve it because of his own default, because of his failure to fight for it, is morally guilty…” (Check Your Premises: The Ethics of Emergencies, The Objectivist newsletter, Vol 2, No. 2, February, 1963, p. 5)

“…HAPPINESS can properly be the purpose of ethics, but not the standard. The task of ethics is to define man’s proper code of values and thus to give him the means of achieving HAPPINESS…” (“The Objectivist Ethics” p. 33)

“…But if they get the slightest suspicion of what we are to each other, they will have you on a torture rack — I mean, physical torture — before my eyes, in less than a week. I am not going to wait for that. At the first mention of a threat to you, I will kill myself and stop them right there…” Why would he kill himself unless HAPPINESS was his ultimate end and not life? (“Atlas Shrugged” Galt to Dagny p.1001)

“…And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My HAPPINESS is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.” (“Anthem” Chapter 11)

~*~

~The Survivalists~

Rand’s support for the Survivalists on Objectivity:

“A man who is run by emotions is like a man who is run by a computer whose print-outs he cannot read. He does not know whether its programming is true or false, right or wrong, whether it’s set to lead him to success or destruction, whether it serves his goals or those of some evil, unknowable power. He is blind on two fronts: blind to the world around him and to his own inner world, unable to grasp reality or his own motives, and he is in chronic terror of both. Emotions are not tools of cognition…” (“Philosophy who needs it”)

“Today, as in the past, most philosophers agree that the ultimate standard of ethics is whim (they call it “arbitrary postulate” or “subjective choice” or “emotional commitment”)—and the battle is only over the question of whose whim: one’s own or society’s or the dictator’s or God’s. Whatever else they may disagree about, today’s moralists agree that ethics is a subjective issue and that the three things barred from its field are: reason—mind—reality. (“The Objectivist Ethics”)

“…Without an ultimate goal or end, there can be no lesser goals or means… It is only an ultimate goal, an end in itself, that makes the existence of values possible. Metaphysically, LIFE is the only phenomenon that is an end in itself: a value gained and kept by a constant process of action…” (“The Objectivist Ethics” p. 17)

“…Man’s LIFE is the standard of morality, but your own life is its purpose…” (“Atlas Shrugged” p. 932)

“…Since the standard man’s life is derived from the nature of values, from the fact that only life makes values possible (that is: only the nature of a living organism, only the requirements of an organism’s life make the existence of values possible) — to choose any value, other than one’s own LIFE, as the ultimate purpose of one’s actions is to be guilty of a contradiction and of the fallacy of the “stolen concept.” Do you remember the answer you gave to a student in your seminar, with which I agreed most enthusiastically? You said that one cannot ask:”Why should I be rational?” — because by accepting a “why” one has already accepted reason, because “why” is a concept belonging to rationality. Well, on the same grounds, by the same logic, one cannot ask: “Why should I choose my own life as my ultimate value?” — because one has already accepted it by accepting the concept “value,” because the concept “value” has no other source, base, meaning or possibility of existing…” (“The Letters of Ayn Rand,” p. 562)

“…The Objectivist ethics holds man’s life as the standard of value — and his own LIFE as the ethical purpose of every individual man…” (“The Virtue of Selfishness” p. 27)

“…The Objectivist ethics holds man’s life as the standard of value — and his own LIFE as the ethical purpose of every individual man…” (“The Objectivist Ethics” p. 27)

“…My morality, the morality of reason, is contained in a single axiom: existence exists—and in a single choice: to live.” (“Galt’s Speech” “Atlas Shrugged”)

Rand’s support for the Survivalists on Egoism/Personal Desires:

“In choosing his goals (the specific values he seeks to gained and/or keep), a rational man is guided by his thinking (by a process of reason) – not by his feelings or desires.”

“Many people, particularly today, claim that man cannot live by logic alone, that there’s the emotional element of his nature to consider, and that they rely on the guidance of their emotions. Well,..the joke is on…them: man’s values and emotions are determined by his fundamental view of life. The ultimate programmer of his subconscious is philosophy—the science which, according to the emotionalists, is impotent to affect or penetrate the murky mysteries of their feelings…

“He must learn, then methodically observe, the difference between thought and feeling—between logic and desire—between percepts and concepts on the one hand, and hopes, wishes, hates, loves, fears on the other. By continuous self-monitoring, he must ensure that during any cognitive activity, feeling is set to the side—that it is not allowed to direct the course of the inquiry or affect its outcome.”

“Emotions are not tools of cognition.” (The Objectivist Ethics)

“The Virtue of rationality means the recognition and acceptance of reason as one’s only source of knowledge, one’s only judge of values and one’s only guide to action…” (The Objectivist Ethics)

Rand’s support for the Survivalists on Happiness:

“My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.” “Happiness is not to be achieved at the command of emotional whims. Happiness is not the satisfaction of whatever irrational wishes you might blindly attempt to indulge.”

“…that which makes you happy, by some undefined emotional standard, is not necessarily the good.” (“The Objectivist Ethics”)

“…Man’s LIFE is the standard of morality, but your own life is its purpose…” (“Atlas Shrugged” p. 932)

~The Syncretists~

Rand’s support for the Syncretists on Objectivity:

“…Man’s life is the standard of morality, but your own LIFE is its purpose. If existence on earth is your goal, you must choose your actions and values by the standard of that which is proper to man — for the purpose of preserving, fulfilling and enjoying the irreplaceable value which is your life. (“Atlas Shrugged” Galt’s” Speech)

“…To hold one’s own LIFE as one’s ultimate value, and one’s happiness as one” highest purpose are two aspects of the same achievement…” (“The Objectivist Ethics” p. 32)

“…Reason — Purpose — Self-esteem. Reason, as his only tool of knowledge — Purpose, as his choice of the happiness which that tool must proceed to achieve — self-esteem, as his inviolate certainty that his mind is competent to think and his person is worthy of happiness, which means: is worthy of LIVING…” (“Atlas Shrugged” Galt’s Speech p. 932)

“…Accept the fact that the achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness — not pain or mindless self-indulgence — is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values. happiness was the responsibility you dreaded, it required the kind of rational discipline you did not value yourself enough to assume — and the anxious staleness of your days is the monument to your evasion of the knowledge that there is no moral substitute for happiness, that there is no more despicable coward than the man who deserted the battle for his joy, fearing to assert his right to EXISTENCE, lacking the courage and the loyalty to LIFE of a bird or a flower reaching for the sun…” (“Atlas Shrugged” Galt’s Speech p. 974)

“…What is the purpose of man’s survival? Happiness. Whose happiness? his own. If man’s survival is made the means to some end and if at any point this end [conflicts with] his survival, he would have to be motivated by self-destruction. Therefore, the placing of any goal as the standard above SURVIVAL is evil. If man is not to SURVIVE for his own happiness but for someone else’s — then, if the claims of this other interfered with his own happiness, he would have to survive in suffering. (“The Moral Basis of individualism,” The Journals of Ayn Rand p. 287)

“…Man must choose his actions, values and goals by the standard of that which is proper to man — in order to achieve, maintain, fulfill and enjoy that ultimate value, that end in itself, which is his own LIFE…” (The Objectivist Ethics” p. 27)

Rand’s support for the Syncretists on Egoism/Personal Desires:

“If you achieve that which is the good by a rational standard of value, it will necessarily make you happy…” (Rand, The Objectivist Ethics, The Virtue of Selfishness, p. 32)

“The truth is: think and you shall feel.” Peikoff: (OPAR p. 229)

“…Integrate your emotions with your perception of reality, so that as closely as possible, you will always be doing what you want to do, and simultaneously, you are always following reality. And the key to there being no opposition is that: your desires follow from reality by the act of your observing the facts you shape your desires.” Peikoff “Judging, Feeling and Not Being Moralistic” Lecture 2

Rand’s support for the Syncretists on Happiness:

“If you achieve that which is the good by a rational standard of value, it will necessarily make you happy…” (Rand, The Objectivist Ethics, The Virtue of Selfishness, p. 32)

“…Man’s life is the standard of morality, but your own life is its purpose. If existence on earth is your goal, you must choose your actions and values by the standard of that which is proper to man — for the purpose of preserving, FULFILLING and ENJOYING the irreplaceable value which is your life. (“Atlas Shrugged” Galt’s” Speech)

“…To hold one’s own life as one’s ultimate value, and one’s HAPPINESS as one” highest purpose are two aspects of the same achievement…” (“The Objectivist Ethics” p. 32)

“…Reason — Purpose — Self-esteem. Reason, as his only tool of knowledge — Purpose, as his choice of the HAPPINESS which that tool must proceed to achieve — self-esteem, as his inviolate certainty that his mind is competent to think and his person is worthy of HAPPINESS, which means: is worthy of living…” (“Atlas Shrugged” Galt’s Speech p. 932)

“…Accept the fact that the achievement of your HAPPINESS is the only moral purpose of your life, and that HAPPINESS — not pain or mindless self-indulgence — is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values. HAPPINESS was the responsibility you dreaded, it required the kind of rational discipline you did not value yourself enough to assume — and the anxious staleness of your days is the monument to your evasion of the knowledge that there is no moral substitute for HAPPINESS, that there is no more despicable coward than the man who deserted the battle for his JOY, fearing to assert his right to existence, lacking the courage and the loyalty to life of a bird or a flower reaching for the sun…” (“Atlas Shrugged” Galt’s Speech p. 974)

“…What is the purpose of man’s survival? HAPPINESS. Whose happiness? his own. If man’s survival is made the means to some end and if at any point this end [conflicts with] his survival, he would have to be motivated by self-destruction. Therefore, the placing of any goal as the standard above survival is evil. If man is not to survive for his own HAPPINESS but for someone else’s — then, if the claims of this other interfered with his own HAPPINESS, he would have to survive in suffering. (“The Moral Basis of individualism,” The Journals of Ayn Rand p. 287)

“…Man must choose his actions, values and goals by the standard of that which is proper to man — in order to achieve, maintain, fulfill and ENJOY that ultimate value, that end in itself, which is his own life…” (The Objectivist Ethics” p. 27)

Appendix 2: Quotes Where Rand Repudiates Subjectivism:

“Happiness is not to be achieved at the command of emotional whims. Happiness is not the satisfaction of whatever irrational wishes you might blindly attempt to indulge.”(Atlas Shrugged, Part 3: Chapter 7)

“Today, as in the past, most philosophers agree that the ultimate standard of ethics is whim (they call it “arbitrary postulate” or “subjective choice” or “emotional commitment”)—and the battle is only over the question of whose whim: one’s own or society’s or the dictator’s or God’s. Whatever else they may disagree about, today’s moralists agree that ethics is a subjective issue and that the three things barred from its field are: reason—mind—reality.” (The Objectivist Ethics, VOS p. 15)

“A man who is run by emotions is like a man who is run by a computer whose print-outs he cannot read. He does not know whether its programming is true or false, right or wrong, whether it’s set to lead him to success or destruction, whether it serves his goals or those of some evil, unknowable power. He is blind on two fronts: blind to the world around him and to his own inner world, unable to grasp reality or his own motives, and he is in chronic terror of both. Emotions are not tools of cognition…” (Ayn Rand Letter, Volume 3, Number 8, 1974)

“The Virtue of rationality means the recognition and acceptance of reason as one’s only source of knowledge, one’s only judge of values and one’s only guide to action…” (emphasis ours) (The Objectivist Ethics, VOS p. 27)

“My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.” (Atlas Shrugged, About the Author)

“In choosing his goals (the specific values he seeks to gain and/or keep), a rational man is guided by his thinking (by a process of reason) – not by his feelings or desires.” (The “Conflicts” of Men’s Interests)

“Many people, particularly today, claim that man cannot live by logic alone, that there’s the emotional element of his nature to consider, and that they rely on the guidance of their emotions. Well…the joke is on…them: man’s values and emotions are determined by his fundamental view of life. The ultimate programmer of his subconscious is philosophy—the science which, according to the emotionalists, is impotent to affect or penetrate the murky mysteries of their feelings…” (The Ayn Rand Letter, Vol. 3, Number 8, 1974, “Philosophy Who Needs It?”)

“He must learn, then methodically observe, the difference between thought and feeling—between logic and desire—between percepts and concepts on the one hand, and hopes, wishes, hates, loves, fears on the other. By continuous self-monitoring, he must ensure that during any cognitive activity, feeling is set to the side—that it is not allowed to direct the course of the inquiry or affect its outcome.” (OPAR p. 161)

“Emotions are not tools of cognition.” (The Ayn Rand Letter, Vol. 3, Number 8, 1974, “Philosophy Who Needs It?”)

Since joy of this kind involves the achievement of values, it demands values (as against whims); a passion to attain goals one is convinced are right (as against uncertainty about goals that are arbitrary); in a word, purpose (as against drifting).” (Peikoff, OPAR p.338)

1 Peikoff. 1988 “Certainty and Happiness” Conceptual Conferences, Lecture Q&A (This is not the Ford Hall Forum version, and is no longer being sold at this time, as far as we know)

1.5 Rand, The Objectivist Ethics

2 “All the rest of the book [The Fountainhead] is a demonstration of how the principles of egoism and altruism work out in people and in the events of their lives. I have been asked why I chose to present a philosophy of ethics in fiction form.” The Letters of A.R., Appendix: A Letter From Ayn Rand To The Readers Of The Fountainhead.

3 Rand. The Journals of Ayn Rand, Part 3 – Transition Between Novels, The Moral Basis of Individualism

4 Rand, Causality Versus Duty, The Objectivist, July 1970

5 Rand, Art and Moral Treason, The Objectivist Newsletter, March 1965

6 Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Chapter 7, p. 932

7 Rand, The Objectivist Ethics, The Virtue of Selfishness, p. 32

8 Peikoff, “Judging, Feeling and Not Being Moralistic.” Recorded Lecture

9 Rand, The Objectivist Ethics, Virtue of Selfishness, p. 32

10 Rand, The Objectivist Ethics, Virtue of Selfishness, p. 14

11 Rand, The Objectivist Ethics, Virtue of Selfishness, p. 32

12 Rand, The Objectivist Ethics, Virtue of Selfishness, p. 28

13 Rand, Letters of Ayn Rand: Letters to a Philosopher, p. 556

14 Rand, The Objectivist Ethics, Virtue of Selfishness, p. 32

15 Peikoff, OPAR p. 161

16 Rand, The Objectivist Ethics, Virtue of Selfishness, p. 28

17 Rand, Letters of Ayn Rand p. 504 “…I hold that philosophers, above all, must be as meticulously precise as it is possible to be, and I am in favor of the most rigorous “hairsplitting,” where necessary—I hold that philosophy should be more precise than the strictest legal document, because much more is at stake—and I am in favor of the most technical language, to achieve such precision…”

18 Following the Q&A of this talk, one of us (John) personally asked Peikoff if he thought the advice he was giving was moral advice. He vigorously disavowed the idea. So this implies that when he says personal desires are a part of an “objective value” this does not mean objective moral value. And when he says in a “framework of rational desires” you should not take him to mean they are a part of a moral standard of value.

ZOOM IN TO SEE A MAN AND WOMAN HOLDING HANDS AS THEY CROSS THE STREET ARRIVING AT THE COLOSSEUM IN ROME. THE VIBRANT 50 SOMETHING COUPLE ARE SOAKING WET FROM THE RAIN THAT’S BEEN DELUGING THE CITY FOR HOURS. THEY SEEM TO NOT NOTICE OR CARE.

BEA: You can’t imagine how many times I’ve dreamed of spending a day with a man like you in a place like this.”

DANTE: “Then I’m making your dreams come true… We’ve just begun.”

DANTE TURNS AND WAVES FOR A TAXI AND ONE PULLS OVER AND THEY JUMP INTO THE BACK SEAT. DANTE TELLS THE DRIVER AN ADDRESS IN ITALIAN. BEA’S EYES ARE CLOSED AS SHE SLUMPS DOWN IN THE SEAT, EXHAUSTED FROM THE DAYS ACTIVITIES. DANTE SLUMPS DOWN IN HIS SEAT TO ARRIVE AT HER CHEEK WITH HIS LIPS AND BRUSHES HER CHEEK WITH HIS LIPS WITHOUT MAKING ANY SOUND. BEA FAINTLY SIGHS WHICH EXCITES DANTE AND HE MOVES TOWARDS HER MOUTH. SOON THEY EMBRACE WITH THE MOISTURE OF THEIR SALIVA MINGLING WITH THE RAIN DRAINING FROM THEIR WET HAIR INTO THEIR MOUTHS.

MOMENTS LATER THE TAXI ARRIVES AT THE ADDRESS WHICH IS ON THE SAME STREET AS THE COLOSSEUM JUST BLOCKS AWAY FROM WHERE THEY GOT INTO THE CAB. DANTE THROWS TOO MUCH MONEY ON THE FRONT SEAT AND GRABS BEA’S HAND TO HELP HER OUT OF THE CAB. HE USHERS HER INTO A DOOR-WAY WHERE NO DOOR SHOULD BE AS THE BUILDING SEEMS A PART OF THE HISTORICAL LANDSCAPE, BUT HE KNOWS WHERE THE HIDDEN KEYPAD IS AND THE CODE AND THE ALMOST INVISIBLE DOOR OPENS AND HE PULLS HER INSIDE AND ESCORTS HER TO A GRAND BATHROOM AND SAYS:

DANTE: Take a nice hot bath then shower. (Pointing) There’s clothes in the closet off the bathroom.

DANTE LEAVES AND BEA STARTS THE WATER AND WANDERS AROUND THE PALATIAL ROOMS OFF THE BATHROOM. SHE CHOOSES A VIBRANT COPPER COLORED SILK SHIRT AND BLACK WOOL SKIRT, WHILE SHE WAITS FOR THE TUB TO FILL.

DANTE STANDS IN HIS ELEGANT STUDY HOLDING A PHONE AND SAYS:

DANTE: No, I can’t go to the gala… I’ve met an amazing woman… we’re staying in… and what if I don’t… I thought you were going… why didn’t you tell me he’s selling the EGG!… I’ll be there!

DANTE HANGS UP THE PHONE AND SMILES AND GOES INTO THE KITCHEN TO GET A GLASS OF WINE THEN WALKS TO THE BATHROOM AND KNOCKS ON THE BATHROOM DOOR.

DANTE: Bea, darling there’s been a change in plans. Please pick out a ball-gown from the closet when you’re done, we’re going to a gala in an hour. I’m going to shower and dress and I’ll be back for you in 40 minutes.

DANTE AND BEA WALK INTO AN ELEGANT AND ENORMOUS BALLROOM FILLED WITH THE JET-SETTING GLITTERATI OF ROME. THERE’S AN AUCTION OF A PRIVATE COLLECTION OF TREASURES — SCULPTURES, PAINTINGS, TRINKETS AND JEWELRY – FROM THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF PEDRO ARUPE, THE RICHEST MAN IN SPAIN. GUESTS BID FOR THE PRICELESS OBJECTS.

BEA: I’m going to find the ladies room. Do you want another drink?”

DANTE: “No darling. Tell me, do you like that Faberge egg made of rubies and pink diamonds just to the right of the stage?”

BEA: (jokingly) “Yes, it’s lovely but I don’t have room in my flat for such trinkets. (She smiles). I’ll be back soon.”

AS BEA MAKES HER WAY UP A GRAND STAIRCASE TO THE SECOND STORY, SHE’S LOOKING BACK AT DANTE KEEPING HER HAND IN FRONT OF HER ON THE RAILING AS SHE MOVES UP THE STAIRCASE TO ENSURE SHE DOESN’T FALL WHILE NOT LOOKING WHERE SHE’S GOING. SUDDENLY HER HAND LANDS ON A MAN’S HAND. SHE SLOWLY TURNS TO SEE THE FACE OF THE MAN IN FRONT OF HER AND IT’S PEDRO ARUPE. SHE DOESN’T KNOW WHO HE IS, NEVER HAVING SEEN OR HEARD OF HIM, BUT HE’S IMMEDIATELY INFATUATED WITH HER AND HER BEAUTY.

PEDRO: “Good evening my dear, are you here to bid on my treasures?”

BEA: “Me…no. I’m here with a man I just met today (she turns and points to Dante).”

PEDRO: “Yes, I know Dante very well. He’s my protege and has been for many years. How did you two meet?”

BEA: “We both got into a cab at the same time at the Vatican this afternoon.”

PEDRO: “I see. Will you both join me after the auction at my villa?”

BEA: “Well, I don’t know…”

PEDRO: “I insist.”

BEA: “Well, if Dante agrees. Perhaps you could speak to him?”

BEA GENTLY PULLS HER HAND AWAY FROM PEDRO, SMILING SWEETLY AS SHE HEADS TO ONE WING OF THE SECOND FLOOR. PEDRO MAKES A GRAND ENTRANCE AND THE CROWD CLAPS AS HE ENTERS. BEA DOES NOT SEE NOR HEAR THE SCENE.

AS BEA LEAVES THE LADIES ROOM WE HEAR THE CROWD MAKING STRANGE NOISES AS IF SOMETHING EXCITING HAS HAPPENED. WE SEE PEDRO HOLDING THE PINK AND RED FABERGE EGG AS HE DISCUSSES IT’S HISTORY. THEN HE SAYS WHILE HOLDING THE EGG UP FOR EVERYONE TO SEE:

PEDRO: “I’m aware that several of you came here to bid on my prize possession but I must now tell you that the egg has already been sold… (the crowd moans) It was to the highest bidder imaginable and I’m pleased to introduce you all to my new friend Bea (he points to her standing at the railing on the second floor watching the scene). Bea has paid with the coin of the realm which none of you are in possession: the key to my heart.”

ALL EYES TURN TO BEA AND RUMORS BEGIN TO FLY. DANTE THROWS A LOOK OF CURIOSITY AND ANGER AT PEDRO; BEA LOOKS LIKE A DEER IN HEADLIGHTS. PEDRO IS LOVING THE DISAPPOINTMENT THAT HE’S CAUSED – AN EVENT THAT ROME WILL BE BUZZING ABOUT FOR WEEKS.

A WIDE ANGLE SHOT OF PEDRO’S MAGNIFICENT APARTMENT WHICH OVERLOOKS THE VATICAN. THE TONES ARE DEEP AND MASCULINE WITH A SPECTACULAR VIEW OF THE ENTIRE CITY. PEDRO, BEA AND DANTE ARE IN THE LIBRARY LOOKING AT AN ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT WEARING GLOVES. THEY TAKE OFF THEIR GLOVES AND WALK TOGETHER INTO AN ADJOINING HALLWAY.

PEDRO: (to Dante while walking) “How high were you planning to bid to get the egg?”

DANTE: “Higher than the competition, you know I’ve wanted it for decades.”

BEA: “Interrupting… I’ve been meaning to ask you Pedro… um…”

PEDRO: (kindly but insistently) “Later darling.”

DANTE: “That was quite a stunt, my friend.”

PEDRO: “No stunt, it was just a I said.”

PEDRO WALKS PAST DANTE WHO STOPS TO TURN AND LOOK AT PEDRO TO SEE IF HE’S JOKING, BUT PEDRO DOES NOT LET DANTE SEE HIS FACE. BEA STOPS AND IS IN DEEP THOUGHT TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON.

LATER THAT NIGHT AT BEA’S FLAT, DANTE AND BEA KISS AND THEN BEA SHUTS THE DOOR AS HE WALKS AWAY. SHE BLOWS HIM A KISS THEN WALKS UP THE STAIRS AND INTO THE LIVING ROOM WHERE SHE’S SHOCKED TO SEE PEDRO’S FABERGE EGG IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM RESTING ON A GRAND PEDESTAL WITH LIGHTS SHINING ON IT FROM ALL SIDES. SHE SITS DOWN STARES AT IT FOR A TIME. BEA’S PHONE RINGS AND SHE ANSWERS:

BEA: (Quietly) “Hello?”

PEDRO: “How do you like it?”

BEA: “It’s magnificent but…”

PEDRO: “Which color’s your favorite?”

BEA: “The pink, but Pedro, this flat’s not secure…It’s dangerous to leave it here…”

THROUGH THE WINDOW WE ZOOM TO SEE A SNIPER ON THE ROOF OF THE BUILDING ACROSS FROM BEA’S FLAT. FROM AN AREAL ANGLE NOW WE SEE SEVERAL BLACK CLAD, ARMED GUARDS ON THE ROOF OF BEA’S FLAT.

BEA: “You said possessions – plural. Did you leave some other valuable object in this flat?”

PEDRO: “I did. I must beg your pardon, Bea, the hour is late and I must say goodnight now. It was delightful meeting you today and I’m sure one day we’ll look back on our meeting as a turning point in our lives. Goodnight.”

PEDRO HANGS UP THE PHONE AND BEA STARES INTO HER PHONE IN DISBELIEF. SHE GETS UP AND STARTS LIFTING OBJECTS TO SEE IF THERE IS SOME OTHER IRREPLACEBLE TREASURE IN HER FLAT.

THE NEXT DAY PEDRO AND DANTE SIT TOGETHER IN WHAT LOOKS LIKE A WAR ROOM WORKING WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER MEN – ALL OF THEM WEARING BLACK. THEY ARE DISCUSSING A PROBLEM AND THERE’S TENSION BETWEEN PEDRO AND DANTE. DANTE ACTS CERTAIN AS HE SAYS:

DANTE: “We’ve dealt with them before and we know what to expect, Pedro.”

PEDRO: “True, but now the old man’s gone and we don’t know how his son will behave.”

DANTE: “He would not deviate from our long set patterns and trade deals… Why would he?”

PEDRO: “To find out if he can get better terms, of course.”

DANTE: “Your saying that he’s going to break our deal.”

PEDRO: “I’m saying he might.”

DANTE: “Then we need intel.”

PEDRO: “Agreed.

DANTE: What do you suggest?”

PEDRO: “I suggest you follow him to Malta and find out if he intends to renege.”

DANTE: “I’ll leave tomorrow night. I want to see Bea for lunch and then I’ll have the boys take me to the island.”

PEDRO: “Call Juan as soon at you have an answer.”

THE NEXT AFTERNOON DANTE AND BEA ARE DINING ALONE IN AN EXQUISIT ROOM OVERLOOKING THE COLOSEUM.

BEA: Mmmm… This fish is amazing! How’s yours?”

DANTE: “Good. Listen, I have to go on a short trip tonight but I should be back in a few days or so.”

BEA: “Where are you going?”

DANTE: “A colleague’s behaving suspiciously and I have to find out if he intends to renege on our deal.”

BEA: “Come back soon.”

THEY SMILE AND HE TAKES HER HAND IN HIS AND KISSES IT.

THAT EVENING AT BEA’S FLAT, PEDRO KNOCKS AT THE DOOR. SHE GOES TO OPEN IT.

BEA: “Pedro! I’m pleased to see you. Come in and look at your your lovely egg!”

PEDRO: “Along with my heart, it’s your egg now darling.”

BEA SMILES BUT CLEARLY DOES NOT TAKE HIS STATEMENT SERIOUSLY. SHE TAKES HIS HAND AND LEADS HIM INTO THE DARK ROOM WHERE THE EGG IS SPOT-LIT. WHEN THEY GET NEAR THE EGG HE TAKES HER HAND AND RAISES IT TO HIS MOUTH AND KISSES IT.

BEA: (gently pulling her hand away) “I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

PEDRO: “Of course but please… a glass of wine as I sit and enjoy the egg for a few minutes first.”

BEA GESTURES AGREEMENT AND GOES TO GET TWO GLASSES AND WINE AND RETURNS AND GIVES A GLASS TO PEDRO AND POURS. SHE GESTURES FOR HIM TO SIT DOWN AND SHE SITS ACROSS FROM HIM AND THEY BOTH SIP WINE IN THE DARK ROOM WHILE LOOKING AT THE EGG.

CLOSE UP OF THE EGG AND IN V.O. WE HEAR PEDRO SAY:

PEDRO: (Quietly, slowly) “All my life I’ve collected the most beautiful objects I could find… and all my life I’ve been seeking a woman who has the integrity and inner beauty of an object like this egg.”

BEA: “I know how you feel. I’ve been looking for a mate for a long time too.”

PEDRO: “What kind of man have you been seeking?”

BEA: “A kind man… A brilliant man… A happy man… What kind of woman have you been seeking Pedro?”

PEDRO: “A woman just like you Bea.”

BEA IS SURPRISED AND TAKES A LARGE DRINK OF WINE, STANDS UP AND WALKS TO THE WINDOW AND LOOKS OUT AT THE CITY AND QUIETLY SAYS:

King Franco, the king of Copperoma, thus far, has been unable to find a woman to wed because all the eligible woman in his kingdom he deems to be unsuitable to be his life-long companion because they don’t have strong and good characters. Moreover, they’re charming to, or submissive to him simply because of his wealth and power. After over a year of earnest searching Franco is now desperate and reaching the end of his hope for a romantically happy life with an amazing woman.

While King Franco looks out the window at the grand view around his castle, his lieutenant approaches him to remind him of a chronic problem that the king’s been putting off while he’s been seeking a bride. Lieutenant Priva informs King Franco that Samantha Martini has just posted her latest attacks on the church doors and that the peasants are listening to her critiques of his kingdom. King Franco says stridently: “No Priva, I won’t deal with her now, I don’t have the strength.” “But your highness, she’s wreaking havoc in your kingdom: she’s causing the peasants to be demanding and dissatisfied.” Priva hands Franco a document which contains Samantha’s charges and without looking at it King Franco asks: “Who is this awful creature anyway? Have I ever met her?” “No sire, she lives in seclusion and has never been to court. Her aunt is a portrait artist and has just painted her portrait which is on display in the library.” “Bring it to me, I want to see what this crazy woman looks like.” “Yes, sire.” Priva leaves to retrieve the portrait of Samantha.

Whenever Samantha is in public, while the king is her primary verbal target for moral condemnation, because she has found almost all the men in Copperoma severely lacking, she tells anyone in earshot of her negative judgments of them, as well as of the king. Seeking moral heroes and finding none, Samantha lives alone in seclusion on the outskirts of Copperoma in a small cottage, facing squarely the fact that her standards are high and she wants only someone as good as her, or no one.

King Franco, now wearing an exquisite red robe with his coat of arms on it, walks into a grand room where eight large portraits of women line one wall. As he walks past the portraits he gives a brief summary of the character of each of the women portrayed. These are the portraits of the women he’s been considering making his bride. Using the document of Samantha’s charges as a pointer, he gestures at each portrait as he talks to it: “You’re critical, cold and emotionally repressed, yet you pretend to approve of me;” as he stops before the next portrait he says: “You talk incessantly and say nothing while feigning utter approval;” walking to the next portrait: “All image and show, there’s no self there;” and to the next: “A femme-fetal seeking nothing more than drama and tragedy;” the next: “utterly indifferent and antisocial;” to the next: you are kind but “constantly afraid, nervous and high-strung;” he stops and smiles at the next portrait as he says “Oh my dear, you’re charming, fun, active, intelligent, but you’re unable to commit to any person, place or thing for longer than a day;” and to the last portrait he says: “Cordial and friendly to all in equal amounts thus treating all as if they were the same.”

As King Franco arrives at the end of the line of portraits, Priva arrives and brings in the portrait of Samantha Martini and places it on as easel in front of Franco then Priva removes the cloth covering it. As Franco gasps at the spectacularly beautiful face he feels something he’s never felt before – love. “Who is this woman Priva, you must bring her to me at once! I’ve never seen such beauty and intelligence, she’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. Franco moves away from the portrait to call for more attendants. “Bring her to me at once so we can begin making plans for the wedding. Who is she and why did you not tell me about her sooner?” “Sire, I did tell you about her.” “No, I recall no such discussion. When did it take place, perhaps some weeks or months ago?” “No sire, I told you about her an hour ago.” “No Priva an hour ago you told me about some shrew named Samantha Martini.” “Exactly sire, this is Samantha Martini.” Franco stops in his tracks horrified. He rushes back to the portrait. “This is Samantha Martini?” “Yes sire.” Franco stands looking at her a long time studying her features. “I simply can’t believe it.” Franco folds the document of Samantha’s charges tighter and uses it to as a pointer to examine various parts of her face for some time then says: “Priva, I want to observe her at a distance. Set up some place for her to be in public so I can observe her. I simply can’t believe your report about her demeanor – I must see her for myself.” “Yes, sire.” Priva leaves to set up the rendezvous. Franco stares at Samantha and talks to her portrait: “What an expensive jewel you would be, my dear. You are the only woman in this kingdom who does not want to be my queen. He strokes the portrait with his hand touching the mouth gently and says to the portrait “I must take my time, this won’t be quick or easy. You’re a prickly little flower needing constant attention and so you shall have it.” As he walks away down the hall with the portraits of women on the wall he says out-loud: “This will be my greatest achievement: turning my greatest enemy into the love of my life.” He tosses Samantha’s charges onto the floor and exits the room walking with great purpose.

Later that night in his bedroom, pacing next to his canopy bed, Franco talks out-loud to himself: “Every woman in this kingdom is attracted to my office, my power, my fortune, my fame and none of them wants me. I should consider myself lucky that there’s such a rare and precious judgmental jewel as Samantha in this entire kingdom: she’s not motivated by love of wealth, approval of the crowd, or fear of me. If all that existed in the world were the feminine manifestations I’ve encountered so far, I’d resign myself to marry only to issue an heir and then disabuse myself of this lifelong romantic hope of mine for a great love. Alright, first I need to charm her by…” the king writes notes in a book sketching out his plan to court and woo Samantha staying up into the wee hours strategizing his plan of attack. He decides the first thing he must do is wear out his opponent as her guard is up and her armor thick and he must find a way to penetrate them. He concludes he must get her back in public, back dealing with people, out of her seclusion in order to give him opportunities to communicate with her – even if at a distance.

The following morning Samantha opens her front door to find a summons attached to it which is from the local tax assessor requesting her presence at his office to discuss the back taxes she owes on her cottage. After reading it she angrily curses: “As if King Franco doesn’t have enough money! How am I going to come up with what I need to pay this appalling tax?… As if I have nothing better to do with my time than go to town and chat with the tax assessor!… Indeed…” She paces then throws up her arms in resignation and starts getting ready to go to town.

That afternoon at the tax assessors office she starts to explain the reason for the delay, but before she can explain the tax assessor tells her: “Miss Martini, an anonymous admirer has already paid your taxes.” Shocked, she demands: “who is the anonymous admirer?!” “I’m sorry but he swore me to secrecy.” She gets up and storms out and when she arrives in her carriage she finds a single red rose and a note on the seat. Franco and Priva are disguised and stand nearby watching her. She opens the note and reads: “Dear mademoiselle, please don’t be concerned that you are now obligated to me, in any way, for paying your taxes. Ensuring your material care and comfort is paramount to me. Signed, your sincere admirer.” Samantha crumples up the note and tosses it out the carriage window. Fuming she notices the rose and picks it up and smells it an feels admired for a moment. We see Franco smiling as he watches her and he’s delighted, but then she quickly returns to herself and tosses the rose out the window too. Then she loudly knocks to get the carriage driver to drive on. As she rides off, the king smiles pleased with his first salvo.

We see a series of shots of Franco watching Samantha react to her secret admirer doing things for her to make her life comfortable and secure: a roofer fixing holes in her roof and Samantha tosses a note and a red tulip out her window; on another day, a plumber fixing her well-pump and she tosses a note and a red lily out her window; a horseman shoes her 2 horses and she tosses a note and a red hydrangea out her window; a painter painting the outside of her cottage and she tosses a note and red gladiola out her window. We see a disguised Priva laying a giant red hibiscus and a note down on Samantha’s front porch. Next we see a carriage maker fixing her carriage as Samantha awkwardly carries a very long, red hibiscus flower out to the street in front of her house where she makes a scene as she throws it and the note into the muddy street where it’s trampled on by horses and carriages as she yells “I hate RED!!!” The passersby stare at her as if she’s crazy but she pays no attention as she’s used to their disapproval. In disguise, Franco watches from across the street delighted by her fury. Samantha returns to her cottage to find a servant waiting inside who says: “Good day, I’ve come to give you my services.” “I can’t afford your services, please leave.” “My salary’s already been paid for the year.” “By whom?” “By the agency I work for.” “But who paid them for your services?” “I don’t know.” Frustrated: “Arrrgggghhhh.” Samantha storms into her room to smolder as the servant starts tidying up her cottage.

Priva, disguised, now stands next to Franco (who’s also disguised) and gently draws Franco’s attention to Samantha’s seeming hatred: “Sire, I know you feel this experiment of yours is well… going… um… I don’t know if you’ve noticed but it seems like she hates her benefactor, er… that is… YOU sire. Are you sure this is the proper course of action?” “I’ve never been more certain in all my life! You just have no imagination Priva. You’ll see, she’s going to become the woman I’ve always dreamed of – trust me.” “Um…ah…yes, sire.” They start walking toward Franco’s castle. “Priva, I want you to set up a small dinner party at my aunt’s estate and invite Samantha and about a dozen other guests. I’m going to attend disguised and so make sure none of the guests knows what I look like.” “Yes, sire.”

Early evening at the grand country estate owned by King Franco’s aunt Esmarelda and the dimming light of dusk shines on a dozen local, well-to-do citizens of Copperoma who sit around a large dinner table chatting and drinking wine. Samantha is seated between Franco and Fernando who is the son of a wealthy architect — Juan Menendez — who grew rich by being King Franco’s official court architect. As the night progresses it becomes painfully clear to Franco that Samantha is being charmed and seduced by Fernando. Franco watches Samantha laughing and having a wonderful time flirting with Fernando which irritates him immensely as he had intended to charm and seduce Samantha himself. Esmarelda is watching the three of them and realizes that Franco is jealous so she calls the head servant and tells him to cut the meal very short. Esmarelda then asks her guests to adjourn into the music room where a performance is to take place. Esmarelda ushers Franco and Samantha into the room and seats them next to each other. Being well disguised, Samantha does not recognize him as the king. She’s concerned that she’s being taken away from Fernando who has been collared by one of the other guests. Samantha and Fernando’s eyes catch each other from across the room as Franco now starts trying to talk to her but she’s preoccupied with Fernando’s absence. Finally, interrupting the king as he’s talking to her, Samantha gestures for Fernando to come and sit beside her and he does. She then proceeds to ignore Franco preferring instead to be charmed and seduced by Fernando. Franco hides the fact that he is furious and jealous as he tries to come up with a solution to this problem.

As the guests leave, one by one, Fernando and Samantha exit the estate agreeing to get together again on the following day for an early dinner at her cottage and to then attend a musical performance in town. Franco can hear them arrange their date and then watches them part and ride away in their carriages. Priva stands next to Franco as Franco says: “I’m the one who changed her from being that raging, loathsome hell-cat into a fun-loving, angelic, pleasant pearl, and if he thinks he’s going to steal my jewel…” Priva askes: “Are you still sure your plan is going to work sire, she seems to be completely enamored with Fernando?” “Yes, of course, Priva, I have absolute confidence in my plan, it cannot fail! She will fall in love with ME not some silly architect’s son. I want you to go see Fernando’s father Count Menendez and tell him this for me…” Priva starts writing down what Franco dictates.

The next day at the arranged time a messenger delivers a note to Samantha. We read: “Dearest Samantha, I so enjoyed meeting you last night and I was looking forward to our date tonight but at the last moment my father — Count Menendez – has sent me on an urgent assignment to the kingdom of Soltania. Unfortunately, I expect to be away for some time as my father has need of me there at a quarry where he gets marble and granite for the king’s projects. It may be some months before I return. However, I would be delighted if upon my return you will allow me to escort you to a fine play. With warm regards, Fernando.” Samantha frowns disappointed and folds Fernando’s note and carefully places it in a special box on her desk.

The next day, disguised as he was at the party, Franco comes courting and Samantha, who still does not realize that he’s the king, is not too interested in him but she’s civil to him.

We see a series of shots showing their daily dates and outings and she starts to like him more and more.

Eventually, Samantha realizes that her suitor is King Franco. At first, she decides to tease him by pretending that she still does not know who he is and further that she’s still interested in Fernando (even though she is not). Eventually, she realizes that Franco had Fernando shipped off so he could court her instead. So, to tease Franco, she gets her driver to take her to Soltania, the town that Fernando’s in, and she stays at an inn and invites Fernando to begin courting her again. Samantha believes that Franco will follow her – and indeed he does as he has to in order to ensure that nothing serious happens between her and Fernando – emotionally or physically. In response to Samantha inviting Fernando to court her, Franco says to Priva: “I’m just going to kidnap Samantha.” “Sire, she may find that too brutal and cruel and it might be hard for you to recover in her esteem.” “Yes, you’re right Priva, let’s just watch and see what unfolds.”

Despite her best efforts to keep up the pretense, eventually, Franco realizes that she knows he’s the king. Franco decides to turn the tables on her by arriving at the same restaurant where she and Fernando are dinning escorted by a very beautiful woman, thus basically saying to her ‘is this the standard you want to set up as the way we engage with each other, my dear – trying to make each other jealous?’ When Samantha sees this woman with King Franco she becomes jealous, at first, not realizing that he’s just doing to her what she’s doing to him, but then she realizes what he’s up to and it causes her to smile in response to his cleverness. When she returns home, Samantha must decide if it’s possible that she could actually love the man who, mere months ago, she all but hated. She decides she could love him, but she also thinks it’s possible that this is all just a ploy to get her to shut-up and stop attacking him and his kingdom publicly.

Upon discovering that Samantha’s not in love with Fernando, and optimistically believing that she possibly could fall in love with him, Franco follows Samantha back to her cottage. She desperately wants Franco’s motive to be love because if he truly loves her then she feels that she could be in love for the first time in her life. When she gets back home she has many talks with herself out-loud. They’re discussions about how she could love the king who she’s spent so much time attacking, the king who allows such injustices to happen in his kingdom. She also tries to make a model of him that explains how he could possibly love her – his kingdom’s public enemy number one.

Franco, now back in his castle paces while he says to Priva: “I’m aching with anticipation for her, Priva.”

Cut to Samantha in her cottage by a small blackboard going over the arguments again and tiring of her confusion about his motive: Samantha says (exhausted): “I’m punch-drunk with doubt about him.”

Cut back to Franco in his castle speaking to Samantha’s portrait: “My darling, you’re too good to be true.”

Cut back to Samantha at her blackboard: “Franco, you’re too bad to be true.”

She decides she needs to talk to him in person as she wants to look into his eyes to see if he’s lying about his true motive because she’s convinced this whole thing would be a very good deception to get her to stop attacking him and his kingdom. So, she comes out of the seclusion she’s been in for weeks and sends her driver with a note for Priva asking him to set up a time and place for her and Franco to meet.

We see a series of shots of Samantha and Franco together: horseback riding, picnicking, hiking, etc. Samantha’s always trying to devise a proof of his motive and she allows herself to get closer and closer to him and is just about to fall in love with him but she stops herself realizing that she does not have a PROOF and so, once again, she pulls away from him and goes back into seclusion refusing his invitations.

Despite her doubt, he keeps sending her gifts and things to stay connected to her which she happily accepts, but then scorns herself and reminds herself that these tokens he’s sending her are a tiny price for him to pay to shut her up to achieve harmony and peace in his kingdom. Endlessly, she tries to figure out a way to prove to herself what his true motive is. Meanwhile he waits patiently staying connected via his gifts and reports from Priva on how she’s doing.

They are both frustrated as they both want to be together, but she’s not convinced of his motive. Once again she writes down and reviews her charges on her blackboard. Then suddenly a plan comes to her to get the proof she needs of his true motive.

She has her driver tell Priva she wants to meet Franco again and she asks that he come disguised. He arrives disguised at her cottage and they take her carriage after she tells him: “I want to show you something.” She tells her driver to go to an address. They arrive and get out and see many dirty, barefoot children lethargically sitting and standing in the street in a poor area of Copperoma. She takes Franco by the hand and leads him into a tiny cottage where a large, poverty stricken family lives. Then she speaks to the sick mother about her ailments and their lack of food and medical attention. After a friendly discussion, she and Franco leave and she takes him to another home and has the same types of discussions with the same types of people. They get back into her carriage and she can see that Franco is visibly upset. Surprised by his reaction, she asks “Did you ever read the charges that I pinned to the church door?” “No I’ve been too busy trying to find a bride.” “Most of my charges against you center around the lack of food and medical treatment that some of your subjects endure.” There’s a long pause as he realizes that she’s not a shrew in need of taming but actually a very kind-hearted, caring person who wanted to get him to fix these problems. Suddenly Franco is overwhelmed by her greatness of character and falls to his knees and holds her hands in his as he rests his head in her lap: “Samantha… Samantha… my darling…you’re my joy… my passion… my delight.” They stare into each other’s eyes. She is stunned by his reaction and is delighted that Franco now sees her true self as she thought no one could see through her warrior-like demeanor in pursuit of having a kind and benevolent kingdom.

Cut to Samantha walking alone in the same area of Copperoma, but now the homes are painted and the children have clean clothes and shoes and the sick women we saw before are healthy. Correcting the neglect of his subject’s suffering is the test she devised to discover Franco’s true motive and she’s delighted to see that he truly loves her.

On a bright sunny afternoon, Franco and Samantha’s walk down the isle in the biggest event in Copperoma since Franco’s father married his mother.

Now on their wedding night Franco kisses her hand and caresses her fingers and says: “Oh, your hands are so beautiful… not just your hands… of course… I mean the rest of you too… oh, you’re so lovely darling.” They kiss and Samantha takes a paper from beside her and places it in his lap as they are kissing. When they stop kissing he sees the paper and starts to read it and says: “I see, the sewers have collapsed in the South Village.” “Yes, darling it seems when the recent rains damaged a retaining wall and…” Interrupting and smiling he says: “I’ll have it fixed.” Franco stands up and walks over to a closet and says “Darling, I have a problem only you can fix.” He takes out a bright RED silk robe with Franco’s coat of arms on it, and he walks towards her. She smiles and kisses him and then he places the robe on her and they both smile delightedly as they’re both getting what they want.

Once upon a time on a tiny island lived a beautiful, passionate, gregarious woman named Martini whose greatest loves in life were great food; fraud-busting; and seeking to find a man she could have a happy romantic relationship with. She was the beloved social glue of the island, known and loved by all.

At the estate on top of the island lived the world’s greatest chef – Alfredo. He was in a state of withdrawal from the world nursing the wound of having lost the love of his life – the best woman he’d ever met – Ambrosia – who was the person best able to appreciate and enjoy his gastronomical creations. They were engaged 25 years ago in France. Without someone as appreciative and sensitive as Ambrosia, Alfredo did not care to cook again.

Martini was a SuperTaster and she loved making the great dishes, especially the ones she’d experienced as a gourmet in France. To do this, Martini read food magazines week after week and spent her annual vacations in France eating at the carefully chosen top rated restaurants, enjoying the carefully researched top dishes they were famous for. And each year on her vacation Martini would purchase these master French chef’s cook books, return home and try to duplicate the dishes she’d had at their restaurant. After many failed attempts, she frustratedly concluded that there was something wrong. She suspected that the chef’s cook books were not revealing all the ingredients or all the methods needed to duplicate the dishes oneself.

One day after Martini made her daily rounds visiting friends on the island, Alfredo’s new French cook – Anjou – approached Martini at the Farmer’s Market to introduce herself. They became fast friends.

~Flashback~

Twenty five years ago Alfredo was acclaimed as the greatest living chef. He was passionate about his work and received acclaim from many critics and epicures, but his greatest joy in life was cooking for his fiance Ambrosia whose passion in life was to eat the greatest food in the world as she was a highly sophisticated SuperTaster. Ambrosia was independently wealthy having inherited a fortune from her father who’d been one of the greatest chef’s in France. Thus, Ambrosia’s standards were the highest and she was the pickiest eater imaginable. Nine times out of 10 she’d spit food out rather than consume it, even at the best restaurants. Ambrosia had a photographic memory for food and could look at a recipe and imagine how the food would taste, or eat a dish and tell what ingredients were in it. When Ambrosia liked something she would spend an enormous amount of time analyzing it’s constituent components and praising the chef who created it in personal letters that she sent to them – as well as in her column in L’epicure. As a policy, Ambrosia never wanted to meet chefs in person because she wanted to experience their food without their character or personality having any effect on her. However, she once made an exception: upon tasting the first bite of Alfredo’s Foie Gras, she determined she must meet the man who prepared it. So, Ambrosia asked to meet him and when Alfredo arrived at her table, Ambrosia assailed him with a barrage of compliments of such detail and with such accuracy that he became instantly enchanted with her.

Invariably and over time, Ambrosia was drawn to the establishment where Alfredo created his gastronomical works of art, the most famous and popular Parisian restaurant “Chez Argent” and in time Ambrosia and Alfredo started dating. Most of their dates were spent with Alfredo cooking and Ambrosia eloquently explaining why his dishes were perfect. Typically, during the meal, the two would engage in passionate love-making in the kitchen, pots, pans and knives strewn hazardously about. After a few near disasters, they built a love nest in his kitchen to use for their passionate during-meal trysts, still wanting to experience the pinnacle of their love-making near the gastronomical utensils and appliances.

After years of bliss together, one day Ambrosia was told of a new chef who was hired at the rival restaurant, Chez Radis. Ambrosia was not interested in sampling the newcomer’s creations as she was convinced that she had found the greatest chef in the world. Her friend persisted and managed to drag Ambrosia to “Chez Radis.” To Ambrosia’s surprise the newcomer – Napoleon – was a gastronomical genius. While she adored his food, she was devastated to discover that Alfredo had a competitor. She hid from Alfredo her passion for Napoleon’s creations as she found herself, virtually against her own will, eating at Chez Radis once a week.

Eventually, because Ambrosia was the talk of the gastronomical world, and given that she had been seen at Chez Radis often, Alfredo found out about her dinning there and was hurt and disappointed. Heartbrokenly, Alfredo confronted Ambrosia needing to know why she’d been hiding from him the fact that she’d been enjoying Napoleon’s creations. She reluctantly told him that she hid it because she did not want to hurt him. She was morally convicted that she had to take into account the fact that she was a demanding SuperTaster; and that her abiding moral passion was to enjoy the world’s greatest food. Alfredo accepted that she should pursue Napoleon’s creations by way of satisfying her moral passion. However, he was hurt and he soon informed her that he had accepted a temporary assignment to cater for the 100 year celebration of the French-American culinary academy in San Francisco and would leave immediately.

While Alfredo was away, one day Ambrosia was eating at Chez Radis and, unbeknownst to her, she was seated right next to Napoleon. They struck up a conversation about the food and Ambrosia was delighted to have someone so keenly interested in her evaluations. Like Alfredo, Napoleon knew he was talking to the greatest living food critic, but pretended not to know who Ambrosia was and asked if he could join her and she agreed. At the end of the meal, he informed Ambrosia that he was the chef and asked her to attend a ball he was to cater at the French President’s palace. Expecting that the occasion would bring out his greatest work, Ambrosia accepted his invitation.

On the night of the ball Ambrosia found herself ecstatic while eating Napoleon’s creations and she praised each and every item that he offered her. At the end of the evening they were drunk with delight and nearly drunk on wine and Napoleon kissed Ambrosia. A passionate night of lovemaking ensued in one of the greatest kitchens in France.

The next day, when she sobered up, Ambrosia was horrified that she’d made love to Napoleon intending to have been faithful to Alfredo. In a few days, she came to accept the difficult circumstance she found herself in: loving two equally matched gastronomical geniuses.

When Alfredo returned from San Francisco he brought an engagement ring and presented it to Ambrosia, she started crying and confessed what she’d done with Napoleon. Alfredo was forgiving and understood her dilemma, but he did not believe Napoleon was his equal. So Alfredo called to make a reservation at Chez Radis and after he’d sampled Napoleon’s creations Alfredo returned to Ambrosia to tell her that Napoleon was a genius and his equal. They both found themselves depressed about this turn of events. In a few days, Alfredo proposed a competition between the them and Ambrosia agreed that it was a good way to resolve the dilemma.

So, Alfredo – being the most renowned chef in France – created a new culinary competition which offered a great prize which he called “Alfredo d’Or.”

As agreed to by all three of them, the winner would win Ambrosia. Napoleon won the competition and Alfredo and Ambrosia ended their relationship and Ambrosia devoted herself to Napoleon. Alfredo was devastated and decided to leave France and return to the San Francisco Bay Area in a quest for obscurity. He bought an estate atop Belvedere Island wanting to go to the one place on Earth that no one would ever look for the world’s greatest chef – America.

~End Flashback~

After spending hours talking to Anjou, Martini decided that Alfredo’s life now is a tragic waste and she determines to do all she can to get him to enjoy life again by cooking for her and by teaching her to cook. Together Martini and Anjou devise a plan.

One sunny morning Martini drives her Citroen 2CV convertible to Alfredo’s estate and Anjou lets her in the gate. Martini has her the best souffle recipe from one of her French cookbooks. Anjou shows Martini to the kitchen where Martini puts all of the ingredients for the souffle on the kitchen counter and waits for Alfredo to show up.

About a half hour later, Alfredo comes into the kitchen to get a glass of milk which Anjou has intentionally not given him. At first he does not see either Martini or the spread of food on the counter. But as soon as he notices Martini, she approaches him as if she’s known him all her life and starts talking to him as if they’re good friends. She speaks as if they had an appointment for him to teach her how to make a souffle. He’s aghast at first, but when she mentions that she has the latest recipe from Chez Argent, the restaurant he worked at it France, he’s intrigued. He takes the recipe from her and mulls it over and finally decides to see if it’s any good.

When the souffle is done they both taste it and she says it’s wonderful, yet Alfredo throws his souffle across the room in disgust breaking the ramikin. She’s incredulous. Alfredo explains that the souffle is missing key ingredients. Moreover, he says important methods for making a great souffle have been omitted from the recipe. Disgustedly, he also tells her to ignore any star chef’s cookbooks as they intentionally leave out relevant information to keep their restaurant monopolies intact. Martini hugs him then paces around the kitchen delighted to now have her suspicion confirmed by the greatest expert in the field. She explains that she suspected that this was happening because she was never able to duplicate her gastronomical experiences at home via the French chef’s recipes.

Over the next weeks Martini comes daily to Alfredo’s home to be mentored by him. She’s having the time of her life and Alfredo hasn’t been so happy since he was cooking for, and making love to Ambrosia. Alfredo often gives Martini pop-quizzes to ensure that she remembers critical elements of great cooking: one of which is to use duck fat in most dishes that call for butter.

At night we see Martini spreading the secrets she’s learned from Alfredo by teaching the women who live on the island and the woman are delighted.

One day after a particularly delicious meal, Martini asks Alfredo why he left France and quit cooking. It’s clear now that he loves Martini, like a daughter, and so he briefly tells her a recap of what happened with Ambrosia and Napoleon (which she already knew from Anjou). Martini asks if he still loves Ambrosia and Alfredo confesses that he still loves her desperately and that he will never cook for anyone but Martini and Ambrosia. Upon hearing this Martini becomes clearly determined to make something happen.

The next day, we see Martini talking to the richest woman on the island – Mrs. Coco – and Martini is excited and leaves Mrs. Coco’s house and drives happily around the island singing a French song about food.

At the town center we see posters and decorations announcing that the most prestigious international culinary competition has chosen Belvedere to host this years competition. Martini takes one of the posters to Alfredo. At first he’s disgusted at the idea of all of these French chefs discovering where he’s been hiding for 25 years, but Martini explains that it’s a golden opportunity for him to get back into the joy of cooking. She also tells him that Ambosia will be coming and he’s thrilled at that news.

Martini spends many hours researching Ambrosia’s husband Napoleon, on the internet. She discovers that in his gastronomic history there are several scandals that he’s been involved with. The theme of the scandals invariably centers on accusations of cheating on his part, thought the accusations were never proven. Martini has a intuitive way of sizing up people quickly and upon seeing a video interview of Napoleon she intuits he’s a cheater. Now she’s determined to get Ambrosia and Alfredo back together.

The day the chefs arrive there’s a welcoming ceremony where Martini and Mrs. Coco speak and toast to great food, long life and happiness. Martini introduces herself to Ambrosia when she’s standing alone, without Napoleon. They talk and Martini invites Ambrosia to her home to enjoy a brunch that the local woman are preparing the next day. Martini tells Ambrosia that she knows that Ambrosia once loved Alfredo, and that she’s been teaching the women on the island Alfredo’s wonderful recipes. Ambrosia is delighted to hear that Alfredo is on the island and accepts Martini’s invitation. The time she tells her to come is 1 hour earlier than the function is to begin.

Ambrosia arrives to find Martini picking flowers and herbs from her garden and together they decorate Martini’s lovely cottage making it ready for the guests. Martini pulls out a dish from the oven that she made, which Alfredo taught her, knowing that it’s one of Alfredo’s greatest dishes she asks if Ambrosia would care for some. They eat and Ambrosia recognizes it as one of Alfredo’s best and then she analyzes it in detail for Martini and she realizes why Alfredo so appreciated Ambrosia’s incredible ability.

Martini wants to find out how Ambrosia’s life with Napoleon is now, and how it’s been for the last 25 years. She discovers over a bottle of wine that it has not been good. Ambrosia no longer loves Napoleon, in part because she suspects he’s a serial philanderer and the quality of his cooking has gone down steadily for the past 25 years. Now he coasts on his former glory. Ambrosia doesn’t know why Napoleon let himself go this way. Nonetheless, she stays with Napoleon because of loyalty to the great happiness they once shared.

After their intimate lunch, Martini becomes convinced that Napoleon’s not what he pretends to be – and probably never was. She’s now determined to dig out the details of the scandals he’s been involved with over the years.

The local woman arrive at Martini’s cottage with the dishes for their potluck. Unexpectedly, Alfredo arrives and is shocked to see Ambrosia. She is thrilled to see him and goes and takes his hand and leads him into the garden where they talk together for hours. Martini and the women notice the sparks flying between the two of them.

That night we see Martini up late into the early morning investigating the Napoleon’s scandals.

Basil is the editor of the most celebrated gastronomical magazine in the U.S. and he’s reporting on the competition on the island. He’s 6 foot 7 and very thin. Every time we see Basil he’s eating French pastries which he bakes himself. When he sees the beautiful Martini at the Farmers Market he approaches and talks to her. He asks about what she’s making with her purchases and where she got the recipe. She tells him it’s Alfredo’s recipe and that it’s one of her favorites. He gives her a tip on how to make it even better. She’s curious about his cooking experience. He tells her he has never worked for any French restaurants, nor gone to a culinary academy. To her great delight, he tells her he’s against the de facto French culinary guild. Martini’s interest in him is now intense and she invites him to her cottage to have some of the dish that she’s shopping for at the Market. He accepts. It’s clear they’re quite attracted to each other.

From a distance we see Martini, at Alfredo’s house, showing him a copy of an old cookbook and Alfredo’s stunned.

The day of the competition arrives. The rules require that each chef create a dish which is an original recipe.

Alfredo had committed to making an original creation for the competition, but has secretly decided against that. Knowing it will disqualify him, Alfredo instead makes the exact same dish that Napoleon announced he would make for this competition.

When the judges discover it’s the same dish Alfredo shows the judges, and audience, that the recipe came from an ancient, secret, Royal French cookbook.

As this is happening on stage, Ambrosia makes her way through the crowd and onto the stage and tastes both dishes, and confirms that Alfredo and Napoleon have made the same dish.

Napoleon, is watching all this as he’s standing next to his bimbo du jour – a floozy named Cherry – and he tells her to meet him back in Paris and then makes a run for his car.

However, Martini expects him to bolt and confronts him. She’s got his briefcase in her hand and says to him “Looking for this?” Knowing that the very same Royal cookbook that Alfredo just showed the judges is in the briefcase, he chases after Martini to get it. She runs to the stage and announces that she thinks the same cookbook can be found in Napolean’s briefcase which she hands to the American judge who opens it and pulls out the very same Royal cookbook and shows the audience.

Napoleon leaps to the stage to defend himself. “I’m President of the French Gastronomical Guild, how can you even suspect me of cheating?”

Martini answers: “Do you deny there are secret ingredients in this book which only the chefs of Royalty knew and your society is devoted to hiding this secret gastronomical knowledge from the world?”

Napoleon replies: “The chefs from our schools run the top restaurants and cook for the most powerful men in the world!”

“That’s your justification for this fraud?”

“I mean, well you see, that is…”

“And did you also use this cookbook (holding it up) to win the competition against Alfredo 25 years ago?”

“Well… That is… You see… I ahh…”

“I’ll take that as a “Yes.”

Alfredo and Ambrosia turn immediately to each other to see if they both understand that their relationship was ended by Napoleon’s fraud. They rush to each other to embrace and confirm they each still love and want each other. While Alfredo and Ambrosia embrace, Napoleon slinks off the stage now having been exposed as a chronic and habitual cheater.

It’s now clear to everyone that the French Gastronomical Guild uses the very same means of cheating, i.e., they cheat the public by leaving out relevant ingredients and/or methods so as not to enable gastronomic independence on the part of foodies, thus allowing the members of the guild to coast and rest on their secret knowledge, rather than be inventive and create new gastronomical delights.

The next day, Martini, Basil (eating pastries), Alfredo and Ambrosia are all working together creating new dishes and noting their evaluations for a forthcoming cookbook that will teach foodies all they need to know to create these great gastronomical experiences themselves.

Later that night, Basil and Martini are talking in her cottage. While eating a coffee flavored eclair, Basil tells her about his how his mom was a baker and how she would take him to her bakery in the early morning and give him all the fresh baked pastries he wanted all during his youth. After Basil has eaten half of the eclair, he then turns the second half of it to Martini and we can see an engagement ring emersed in the cream. Martini plucks it out and wipes it clean and is excited at first. But then she starts pacing the room, imagining what their marriage would really look like. She starts crying confessing that she is jealous – for the first time in her life – of Basil’s ability to eat pastries constantly and never gain weight. Although she loves Basil she doesn’t think she’ll be able to have a happy life if she has to constantly watch him eating pastries which she cannot have. The tension mounts as she cries and he thinks. Basil suddenly approaches her excitedly and says “Darling, you can have a small taste of the pastries – enough for us to be able to bond on the flavor and so that you have some satisfaction in knowing how good my creations are.” Martini stops crying and chippers up and then agrees that this suggestion solves her problem and she smiles at him and puts on the engagement ring and they embrace, kiss and share an eclair.

FADE IN AND ZOOM INTO A PARISIAN APARTMENT WHERE DAVID, A FRENCH CINEMATOGRAPHER SITS TALKING ON THE PHONE.

DAVID (French accent): “Please… Tell me about it!”

IN V.O. WE HEAR A WOMAN’S VOICE SAY: “It was two years ago and I was driving through the Panhandle of Texas on my way back to Dallas for my favorite cousin’s wedding. I’d been listening to a lecture about the immanent decline of Western society and I started crying. At just that moment my gas light went on and I exited to a lonely gas station in the middle of nowhere. Sobbing, I walked into the store by the gas pumps and was looking for the restroom when I saw an oasis of Stetson Cowboy boots of all shapes and sizes. Stunned as to how there could be such a demand for Cowboy boots – even in Texas – I dried my eyes and a little voice in my head said “Why don’t you buy some Cowboy boots?” And so I set out to find a pair I could want. I searched and touched and lifted and poked as three sales girls tried to help me but I hated all of the boots I saw because they were full of fake rhinestones or fancy stitching and all I wanted was a simple pair of
elegant Cowboy boots – like the pair I used to have throughout my youth. One day this same cousin pushed me into a swimming pool and I was wearing my beloved Cowboy boots and when they eventually dried they cracked, so I threw them out.”

DAVID: And these were the first pair of Cowboy boots you ever had?

WOMAN V.O.: Yes, and I wore them constantly for a decade so the leather had basically crafted itself to the shape of my foot, which is such a wonderful feeling – there’s nothing like it.

DAVID: Okay, so, why do you want to sell these new Cowboy boots?

WOMAN V.O.: Because I don’t wear Cowboy boots now that I live in California and because it was just an impulsive purchase meant to distract me from my sorrows. You know, I haven’t really wanted to sell them because they’re like a memento of an important time in my life, but now that I’ve finally told another person about the story behind them, I think I can get rid of them.

DAVID: This is special, we have this knowledge and connection now… it’s a bond between us. Why don’t you send me a link to your ad for the boots so I can see them?

WOMAN V.O.: Okay.

CUT TO BRIJIT CLICKING HER MOUSE TO SEND THE LINK TO DAVID.

CUT TO DAVID ON THE PHONE SAYING GRUFFLY:

DAVID: No. Stop arguing with me. I want you to pay full price for the boots don’t try to haggle with her. That’s right full price. I’ll wire you the money. Call me when you’ve got them.

CUT TO LOUIE, THE MAN ON THE OTHER END OF THE LINE, SCRATCHING HIS HEAD, GESTURING THAT HE’S CONFUSED. PAN AROUND HIS APARTEMENT WHICH IS A DIVE.

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY AND BRIJIT READING AN EMAIL FROM A PERSON WANTING TO PURCHASE HER BOOTS.

CUT TO BRIJIT MEETING LOUIE TO SELL HIM HER BOOTS.

BRIJIT: I’ve only worn them one time – to my cousin’s wedding – a couple of years ago.

LOUIE TOUCHES THE BOOTS AND ADMIRES THEM AND THEN CAREFULLY PUTS THEM BACK IN THE STETSON BOX AND THEN PUTS THE BOX UNDER HIS ARM AND TAKES OFF AND DISAPPEARS INTO A SUBWAY STATION. BRIJIT STANDS THERE IN DISBELIEF.

CUT TO BRIJIT HER HER COTTAGE ON THE PHONE TO DAN.

BRIJIT: I went to sell my boots today and you’ll never guess what happened.

DAN V.O.: You sold them.

BRIJIT: No. The man who came to buy them stole them and disappeared into the subway.

CUT TO DAN STANDING UP FROM HIS CHAIR AND STARTING TO PACE AS HE SAYS:

DAN: Describe the man to me.

BRIJIT V.O.: He was about 5’8, thin, dark hair and eyes, kind of shady looking, now that I think about it. Why?

DAN: What a bastard! Do you have his email address and phone number? Send me a picture of the boots, gotta go. He can’t do that to you – I’ll find him and get your boots back. You can count on it!

SLAMS DOWN HIS PHONE AND STARTS DRESSING. PICKS UP HIS PHONE AGAIN AND CALLS.

DAN: Hey Nikki, I need you to help me catch a guy who stole BRIJIT’s boots.

CUT TO NIKKI AS HE SAYS:

NIKKI: Was she wearing them?

BACK TO DAN:

DAN: No, just go and find out who this jerk is and get back to me, I just sent you his contact info.

CUT TO NIKKI QUICKLY TYPING ON HIS COMPUTER AND THEN THE ADDRESS OF LOUIE AZNAVOUR APPEARS ON THE SCREEN.

CUT TO DAN ARRIVING AT LOUIE’S APARTMENT. DAN WATCHES FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN SEES LOUIE LEAVING TO GET IN HIS CAR AND DAN FOLLOWS HIM UNTIL LOUIE GOES INTO A FED EX AND HE CARRIES THE SAME BOOT BOX MARKED “Stetson” ON IT. AFTER LOUIE LEAVES DAN GOES INTO THE FED EX AND FINDS THE BOX AND WRITES DOWN THE ADDRESS AND NAME WHERE LOUIE’S SENDING THE BOOTS.

CUT TO DAN BACK IN HIS CAR CALLING NIKKI.

DAN: Look Nikki, I know you’ve got millions of points that you can contribute so stop whinning and get me a ticket to Paris, I know it won’t cost you a thing and you want to see BRIJIT get her boots back too – right?

NIKKI: Yea, your right. Go to the airport and I’ll call you with the info once I get it, but you are going coach!

DAN: Sure I don’t care.

CUT TO DAN IN PARIS STAKED OUTSIDE OF DAVID’S APARTMENT. HE’S ASTOUNDED THAT SO MANY GORGEOUS WOMEN GO IN AND OUT OF IT. AFTER A WHILE OF WATCHING HE’S STUNNED TO SEE ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL WOMEN WALK OUT WEARING BRIJIT’S BOOTS.

CUT TO NEXT DAY, DAN IS OUTSIDE OF DAVID’S APARTMENT WATCHING THE BIMBOS COMING AND GOING AND TODAY ALL OF THEM WEAR THE EXACT SAME COWBOY BOOTS. DAN CALLS NIKKI.

DAN: Man, you won’t believe this but the guy who got BRIJIT’s boots is some kind of playboy who has an army of beautiful babes coming and going from his apartment and yesterday one of them came out wearing BRIJIT’s boots and now today they all have a pair of the exact same boots. This is really weird!

NIKKI: I did not check him out yet, got busy, let me see what I can dig up on him. I’ll call you back.

CUT TO DAN TAILING ONE OF THE GIRLS WHO CAME OUT OF DAVID’S APARTMENT. SHE GOES TO A THEATER AND GIVES A POSTER TO A YOUNG MAN THERE. DAN WAITS TO SEE WHAT HE’LL DO WITH IT AND HE GOES AND OPENS THE GLASS OUTSIDE CASE AND UNROLLS THE POSTER AND ATTACHES IT AND BELOW THE POSTER DAN READS “Coming Soon The New Film By David Goddard “Boots.” THE PHOTO ON THE POSTER IS THE PAIR OF BRIJIT’S COWBOY BOOTS. DAN CALLS NIKKI TO TELL HIM.

DAN: You won’t believe this, one of these babes just delivered a poster to a theater which just displayed it in the coming attractions case and it’s a photo of BRIJIT’s Cowboy boots.”

CUT TO NIKKI:

NIKKI: Well that makes some sense David’s a film-maker and these women are in his latest film which will be released at the Caan Film Festival tomorrow.

CUT TO DAN:

DAN: I gotta go BRIJIT’s calling. Hey baby, I was just thinking about you.

BRIJIT V.O.: What are you doing?

DAN: I’m enjoying the sites of Paris in the Spring.

BRIJIT: Wow, why… When did you get there… What are you doing there… Are you Okay?

CUT TO DAN BACK IN FRONT OF DAVID’S APARTMENT AND DAVID WALKS OUT OF THE BUILDING AND DAN SAYS:

DAN: I’ve got to go now but don’t worry I’ll get your boots back!

BRIJIT: But I don’t care about them any….

BRIJIT LOOKS AT THE PHONE IN FRUSTRATION THEN SHRUGS DISMISSING DAN AS BEING CRAZY. BRIJIT DIALS ANOTHER NUMBER.

BRIJIT: Nikki, do you know what’s wrong with Dan? He’s in Paris for no reason and he seems to be chasing after the guy who stole my boots but the ticket to Paris is thousands of dollars and the boots only cost a couple of hundred.

CUT TO NIKKI.

NIKKI: Hmmm… No I haven’t talked to Dan in a few days.

BRIJIT: It’s weird, I don’t know what’s going on with him… Okay, I also called to ask you for a favor.

NIKKI: Anything!

BRIJIT: I have this new guy I’m really interested in but he’s in Paris and I wondered, I know you are so good with using points to get free plane tickets and I wondered how much cash you’d charge me to use some of your points for a flight to Paris?

NIKKI: Please, let me just give them to you, I have literally millions of points and I won’t live long enough to use them all up.

BRIJIT: Are you sure?

NIKKI: Absolutely sure. When do you want to go?

BRIJIT: I’m driving to the airport now.

CUT TO THE CAAN FILM FESTIVAL. WE SEE PEOPLE MOBBING DAVID AND HIS BEVVY OF BIMBOS WHO ALL WEAR THE EXACT SAME COWBOY BOOTS – COPIES OF BRIJIT’S BOOTS – AS THEY WALK AROUND AND HAVE THEIR PICTURES TAKEN AS DAVID IS APPROACHED BY THE MEDIA FOR INTERVIEWS. IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERVIEW HIS PHONE RINGS MAKING A SPECIAL TONE THAT HE GAVE TO ONLY BRIJIT SO HE TAKES THE PHONE OUT WHILE HE’S BEING INTERVIEWED ON CAMERA AND SEES HER TEXT “I’ll be in Paris in two hours and I can’t wait to meet you!!!” WHILE THE CAMERAS ARE STILL ROLLING AND WAITING FOR HIM, HE RUNS AWAY TO GET TO THE AIRPORT TO GO BACK TO PARIS.

CUT TO PARIS, DAVID AND BRIJIT HAVING DINNER AT AN INTIMATE RESTAURANT HAVING LOTS OF FUN. OUTSIDE THE FRONT WINDOW OF THE RESTAURANT WE SEE DAN IN STARRING IN AND FEELING BAD AS HE LOOKS AT BRIJIT HAVING A BLAST WITH DAVID. DAN DUCKS INTO A DOORWAY AND FRANTICALLY CALLS NIKKI.

DAN (screaming): How in the hell did she get here? You gave her the ticket didn’t you – idiot! Don’t do it again, don’t give her anymore plane tickets damn it! I’m in love with this woman and you’re screwing things up – just stay out of it.

DAN HANGS UP ON NIKKI WHO IS STUNNED AND STARTS PACING HIS APARTMENT TALKING OUTLOUND TO HIMSELF:

NIKKI: I should just stay out of it… he’s right… why am I involved in this insanity… why am I using up all my precious points… what is going on with me… why should I care… it’s not like she…. it’s not like I… it’s not like we…

NIKKI RUNS FOR THE COMPUTER AND MAKES HIMSELF A PLANE RESERVATION FOR PARIS.

CUT DAVID’S APARTMENT WHERE ON HIS TV HE WATCHES A TELECASTER TALKING ABOUT HIS NEW SMASH HIT MOVIE “Boots” AND THE NEW FASHION CRAZE THAT IT’S CAUSED: A TREND WHERE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET BRIJIT’S STYLE OF COWBOY BOOTS AND STETSON IS HAVING TROUBLE KEEPING UP WITH DEMAND. THERE ARE A SERIES OF SHOTS OF PEOPLE ON THE STREETS WEARING THEM AND THE TELECASTER WALKS AROUND THE DESK AND SHOWS SHE’S WEARING THEM TOO. DAVID WALKS AWAY INDIFFERENT TO THE SUCCESS OF HIS MOVIE AND TO THE FASHION TREND HE’S CAUSED.

CUT TO DAVID AND BRIJIT WALKING AROUD THE STREETS OF PARIS AND HE’S HEAD-OVER-HEELS IN LOVE WITH HER AND DOES NOT NOTICE OTHER PEOPLE ON THE STREET WHO POINT TO HIM AS BEING FAMOUS. BRIJIT NOTICES ALL THE ATTENTION HE’S GETTING AND THEN SHE STARTS NOTICING A LARGE NUMBER OF WOMEN WEARING THE STYLE OF COWBOY BOOTS THAT WERE STOLEN FROM HER. SHE SAYS:

BRIJIT: I had no idea that parisians were so into cowboy boots… and all the same kind… and they look just like the ones…

DAVID PLANTS A BIG KISS ON HER LIPS SO SHE CAN’T FINISH HER THOUGHT.

CUT TO THEM WALKING DOWN THE SEINE ARM IN ARM DAVID IS TRYING TO MAKE AMORE TO HER BUT SHE’S STILL TOO DISTRACTED BY ALL THE BOOTS. SHE SAYS:

BRIJIT: Can we go get something to drink?

DAVID: Of course, I know a place right around the corner.

CUT TO THEM GETTING A COFFEE TO GO AND THEN WALKING AND THEY COME UPON A MOVIE THEATER AND SEE ON THE MARQUE THAT “Boots” IS PLAYING AND THEN THEY PASS BY THE MOVIE POSTER AND SHE SEES THAT THE BOOTS IN THE POSTER ARE HERS, BECAUSE THEY HAVE A SPECIAL MARK ON THEM THAT ONLY SHE KNOWS ABOUT, THEN SHE NOTICES THE DIRECTOR IS NAMED DAVID GODDARD. SHE’S SHOCKED AND DEMANDS:

BRIJIT: How is it your movie poster has my stolen boots on it? And why didn’t you tell me you are the auteur David Goddard?

DAVID: Yes, I am David Goddard and this is my movie and I had a friend of mine get your boots.

BRIJIT THROWS DOWN HER COFFEE ON THE SIDEWALK AND TURNS AROUND TO WALK AWAY FROM DAVID. HE CHASES AFTER HER BUT A GROUP OF HIS FANS SEE HIM AND MOB HIM FOR AUTOGRAPHS SO HE CAN’T GET TO HER. AS SHE’S WALKING DOWN THE STREET SHE CALLS NIKKI:

BRIJIT: I can’t believe this guy, he had someone steal my boots… What a jerk…

NIKKI: Then it’s off?

BRIJIT: Absolutely! He’s into some kind of weird kinky erotic thing that involves boots… hold on I’ve got another call…

BRIAN: Brijit! Darling!

BRIJIT: Who is this?
BRIAN: Brian.

BRIJIT: Oh, hi, I wondered what happened to you I expected to hear from you two weeks ago.

BRIAN: I’ll tell you about it when I see you but I’m calling to see if I can get you to come to Bordeaux.

BRIJIT: It just so happens I’m in Paris and would love to join you in Bordeaux. Can you have a ticket waiting for me at the airport.

BRIAN: I almost have it paid for now. Go to AirFrance and it will be waiting for you.

BRIJIT FLAGS A CAB AND GETS IN.

CUT TO DAVID BACK AT HIS APARTMENT PACING IN FRONT OF HIS MAIN WINDOW AND PULL BACK TO SEE DAN IS ON THE STREET WATCHING HIM.

DAVID: Brijit wait… don’t hang up… I didn’t know they were stolen… please… tell me where you are… Why are you going to Bordeaux? Who is Brian?

CUT TO DAVID, FOLLOWED BY DAN, AT THE AIRPORT GOING TO BORDEAUX.

CUT TO DAVID GOING FROM HOTEL TO HOTEL IN BORDEAUX – FOLLOWED BY DAN – TRYING TO FIND BRIJIT. COMING OUT OF ONE OF THE FANCIEST HOTELS, DAVID GETS MOBBED AGAIN WHICH SIDETRACKS HIM AWAY FROM FINDING BRIJIT.

CUT TO DAVID IN DISGUISE GOING FROM HOTEL TO HOTEL TRYING TO FIND BRIJIT.

CUT TO BRIJIT INSIDE A FANCY RESTAURANT IN BORDEAUX WITH BRIAN WHO’S TALKING ABOUT VARIOUS GRAND MONEY-MAKING SCHEMES WHICH WE CAN BARELY MAKE OUT IN V.O. ZOOM IN TO SEE THAT BRIJIT IS SAVORING HER MEAL AND PAYING LITTLE ATTENTION TO HIM.

CUT TO BRIAN AND BRIJIT WALKING DOWN THE STREET IN BORDEAUX AND COMING UPON A THEATER WHICH IS PLAYING “Boots.” BRIAN SAYS:

BRIAN: Oh, I’ve really been wanting to see this let’s see if there’s a showing now…

BRIJIT (non-plussed): Sure…

CUT TO NIKKI GETTING OFF A PLANE IN PARIS.

CUT TO DAVID GETTING MOBBED BY WOMEN IN THE LOBBY OF A BORDEAUX HOTEL AND RUNNING INTO A MEN’S ROOM. DAN GOES INTO THE MEN’S ROOM TO LISTEN TO DAVID’S PHONE CALL.

CUT TO A SERIES OF SCENSE IN THE MOVIE “Boots” WHERE IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT DAVID LOVES BRIJIT.

CUT TO BRIAN AND BRIJIT OUTSIDE THE THEATER ON THE STREET. BRIJIT SAYS:

BRIJIT: I’m sorry, I’ve got to go back to Paris. Thanks for the wonderful meal and movie!

SHE RUNS DOWN THE STREET TOWARD A CAB STAND AND BRIAN LOOKS ON CONFUSED. WHEN SHE’S IN A CAB SHE CALLS NIKKI AND SAYS:

BRIJIT: Nikki, I need another ticket, can you use more of your points for me?

NIKKI: Where are you?

BRIJIT: I’m in Bordeaux and I need to get back to Paris. Will you help me?

NIKKI: Of course. Go to the airport now and the ticket will be waiting. When you get to Paris I need for you to meet me at the George V Hotel. I’ll wait for you in the lobby.

CUT TO DAVID IN THE BATHROOM PACING TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO. HE GOES INTO A STALL AND CALLS LOUIE.

DAVID: You know I’m gonna kill you right?

LOUIE V.O.: Why?

DAVID: Why didn’t you just buy the damn boots… why’d you steal them from her?

LOUIE: I couldn’t help it I can’t pay full price for anything – and how did you find out I stole them?

DAVID: Nevermind. I’m in Bordeaux looking for her and I need your help, (whispering) there’s a man who’s been following me for days and I want you to meet me at the airport in Paris and help me ditch him (now yelling) and bring the boots!

CUT TO DAVID AND LOUIE (carrying the Stetson boot box) BEING FOLLOWED BY DAN AT CHARLES DEGAUL AIRPORT. LOUIE AND DAVID GO INTO THE VIP LOUNGE OF AIRFRANCE AND ARE FOLLOWED BY DAN. THEY GO INTO THE SHOWER ROOM AND DAN FOLLOWS AND THEY TRICK DAN INTO GOING INTO A ROOM THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO LOCK FROM THE OUTSIDE AND THEY QUICKLY GO TO THE EXIT THEN TO THE CAB STAND AND GET A CAB. WHILE IN THE CAB BRIJIT CALLS DAVID.

DAVID: It’s her… Darling where are you?

BRIJIT: I’m in Paris heading to the George V Hotel. Where are you?

DAVID: I’m in Paris in a cab, (to cab driver) George V Hotel quickly… and I’m now heading for the George V too.

CUT TO DAN BREAKING OUT OF THE LOCKED ROOM AND RUNNING TO GET A CAB OUTSIDE. HE GETS IN AND CALLS NIKKI.

DAN: Where’s Brijit?

NIKKI: She’s on her way to see me so I can tell her I love her.

DAN: Where are you?

NIKKI: The George V… I mean the Four Seasons in San Francisco.

DAN HANGS UP AND TELLS THE DRIVER:

DAN: George V Hotel – step on it!

CUT TO BRIJIT ARRIVING AT THE GEORGE V AND SEEING NIKKI.

BRIJIT: Why are you here Nikki?

NIKKI: There’s something important I have to tell you.

BRIJIT: What is so important that you flew all the way to Paris to tell me?

NIKKI: Well a… I a…

BRIJIT SUDDENLY REALIZES THAT NIKKI LOVES HER AND SHE’S STUNNED AND REALING AND STARTS TO FEEL FAINT AND GROPES HER WAY TO A CHAIR TO SIT DOWN. WHILE SHE’S SITTING, DAVID AND LOUIE ARRIVE IN THEIR CAB AND STORM INTO THE LOBBY AND RUSH OVER TO BRIJIT.

DAVID: Darling, are you okay, you look pale?

BRIJIT: Why are you with the man who stole my boots? Is that them in the box he’s holding?

DAVID: I sent him to buy your boots but he’s cheap and stole them instead on his own. I was planning to make the McGuffin in my film your boots and then you’d have a token of my love for you by my putting something of you in my film. Darling, I’ve been in love with you since our first chat.

BRIJIT FAINTS AND FALLS DOWN AND IS SPRAWLED OUT ON THE FLOOR.

CUT TO DAN ARRIVING AT THE GEORGE V HOTEL. HE RUSHES INTO THE LOBBY AND SEES BRIJIT ON THE FLOOR AND RUNS TO HER. DAN SEES LOUIE NEAR BRIJIT AND TACKLES LOUIE THINKING LOUIE HURT HER BECAUSE HE RECOGNIZES HIM AS THE MAN WHO STOLE HER BOOTS.

DAN: You little creep, you’re the one who stole her boots…

LOUIE DROPS THE BOOT BOX AND TRIES TO RUN BUT DAN COLLARS HIM AND STARTS POUNDING ON HIM. LOUIE WORMS OUT OF IT AND RUNS AWAY. DAN TURNS TO BRIJIT ON THE FLOOR AND THEN DAVID AND NIKKI ALSO CROWD IN TO HER. SHE WAKES UP TO SEE DAVID, NIKKI AND DAN ALL SURROUNDING HER AND ALL VERY CONCERNED AND ALL OF THEM OBVIOUSLY IN LOVE WITH HER. DAVID IS FIRST TO SAY:

DAVID: Brijit, I love you!

NIKKI: Me too!

DAN (to Nikki): I told you to stay out of this!

NOW DAN MAKES THREATENING GESTURES TO NIKKI WHO JUMPS UP AND STARTS RUNNING AS DAN CHASES HIM. WE SEE THEM FIGHTING IN THE BACKGROUND AS DAVID HELPS BRIJIT TO STAND UP AS HE STANDS ON ONE KNEE AND PULLS THE BOOTS OUT OF THE BOX THAT LOUIE DROPPED ON THE FLOOR AND USES THEM LIKE AN ENGAGEMENT RING (LIKE CINDERELLA) TO SEAL THE DEAL BY GESTURING THAT SHE SHOULD PUT ON THE COWBOY BOOTS. SHE DOES AND THEY FIT PERFECTLY AND A CROWD THAT HAS GATHERED START TO CLAP – MANY OF THE WOMEN WEAR THE SAME COWBOY BOOTS. DAN AND NIKKI ARE STILL FIGHTING IN THE BACKGROUND.

CUT TO BRIAN’S CHATEAU IN BORDEAUX AND DAVID AND BRIJIT’S WEDDING. NIKKI IS DAVID’S BEST MAN AND DAN GIVES BRIJIT AWAY AND EVERYONE AT THE WEDDING IS WEARING THE SAME PAIR OF COWBOY BOOTS.

ARIAL SHOT ABOVE PARIS FRANCE. ZOOM-IN TOWARDS A TAXI. IN VOICE-OVER WE HEAR A MAN AND WOMAN ARGUING. ZOOM INTO THE BACK SEAT WHERE THE BEAUTIFUL MARIGOLD ESTES SOBS AS SHE SAYS: “But we’ve been together for over 23 years.” OBVIOUSLY CRANKY AND INSATIABLE, HER HUSBAND JACK RETORTS: “The only reason I’m with you is because you help me complete the work. If that were to change then there’s no reason to be with you.”

CUT TO MARIGOLD AND JACK CHECKING INTO THE GEORGE V HOTEL IN PARIS. SHE DOES ALL THE TALKING: “Yes only one night we leave tomorrow for the States.” CLERK: “And how was your holiday in Europe?” “It was…fine…” CLERK: “I hope your stay with us proves memorable, Ms. Estes.” SHE SMILES WEAKLY AS SHE’S STILL REELING FROM WHAT HER HUSBAND SAID IN THE TAXI. THE CLERK GIVES HER THE KEY AND SHE AND JACK HEAD TO THE ELEVATOR. HE’S OBVIOUSLY LOST IN SOME IMPORTANT THOUGHT. THE ATTENDANT BRINGS THEIR LUGGAGE.

CUT TO NEAR DUSK THAT SAME DAY, ALONE NOW, MARIGOLD WALKS INTO THE LOBBY AND SHE’S CLEARLY RECOVERED AND SHE HAS A SMALL BAG OF ECLAIRS. AS SHE WALKS THROUGH THE LOBBY DOOR, HELD BY THE ATTENDANT, SHE TAKES A BITE OUT OF AN ECLAIR AND IS CLEARLY IN ECSTASY. SHE GETS INTO THE ELEVATOR TO GO TO HER ROOM ON THE 2ND FLOOR BUT THE ELEVATOR IGNORES THAT SHE PUSHED THE 2ND FLOOR BUTTON AND INSTEAD GOES TO THE 23RD FLOOR WHICH IS THE PENTHOUSE. THE ELEVATOR DOOR OPENS AND A MAN’S DEEP AND DISTINCTIVE VOICE COMES OVER THE SPEAKERS IN THE ELEVATOR: “Please step out of the elevator Marigold.” AS SHE DOES SHE DROPS HER BAG OF ECLAIRS AS SHE SLOWLY STEPS INTO THE PENTHOUSE. THE MAN CALMLY AND GENTLY TELLS HER: “I’m sorry to have to tell you that you’re being kidnapped and held in this penthouse.” THE ELEVATOR DOOR CLOSES BEHIND HER. SHE’S SHOCKED YET STILL MANAGES TO NOTICE THAT THE MAN’S VOICE SOUNDS KIND AND CHARMING. HE EXPLAINS THAT: “Nothing harmful will happen to your husband as long as you do what I tell you. Please call me Julian.” PAUSE. “I will very much appreciate it if you stay calm. Please go to the window at the far end of the suite to your left.” MARIGOLD WALKS TO THE WINDOW AND LOOKS OUT. IT’S NOW SUNSET. SHE SEES A HELICOPTER NEAR THE WINDOW. A MAN WHO APPEARS TO BE JACK IS IN THE HELICOPTER HELD AT GUNPOINT BY DISGUISED GUNMEN. THE HELICOPTER FLIES OFF. MARIGOLD RUSHES CLOSER TO THE WINDOW STARING AT THE HELICOPTER AS IT MOVES AWAY FROM HER. WHEN IT’S GONE SHE GOES TO A CORNER OF THE ROOM, PUSHES A CHAIR OUT OF THE WAY AND SITS ON THE FLOOR LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AT THE LIGHTS OF PARIS. SHE’S SORTING OUT HER VALUE HIERARCHY AND DETERMINES THAT ONLY ONE THING MATTERS NOW (MARIGOLD IN VOICE-OVER): “What would Jack tell me to do? He’d tell me not to be rash, to wait and see what develops, to wait and see if circumstances allow me to be happy in the future. But what if they don’t allow it? What if no happiness is possible to me again? Then somehow I’ll kill myself.” WE DON’T SEE JULIAN, BUT WE SEE HIM WATCHING HER VIA THE MANY CAMERAS THROUGHOUT THE SUITE. HE DOES NOT DISTURB HER. AFTER A WHILE SHE FALLS ASLEEP CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR.

CUT TO THE NEXT MORNING MARIGOLD AWAKENS IN A DIFFERENT ROOM IN A LUXURIOUS BED AND WONDERS (IN VOICE OVER INSIDE HER HEAD): “How’d I get here? I don’t remember anyone carrying me here.” SHE GET’S UP AND WALKS INTO THE DINING ROOM. SHE DOES NOT SEE OR HEAR ANYONE IN THE SUITE, YET A HOT BREAKFAST IS SET UP ON THE DINING TABLE AND CALM INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND. SHE SITS DOWN AND STARTS EATING AND ASKS IN A PLEASANT VOICE: “If you don’t mind my asking, what do you want with me?” JULIAN: “Good morning my dear. I’m happy you asked. There is a very secretive man who is the leader of a group of men who want to stop me in my ambitions. This man will be attracted to your great beauty.” SHE QUICKLY THINKS ABOUT HIS PROPOSAL AND NONCHALANTLY SAYS (while chewing): “If I were to find such a man, a man opposed to your ambitions, I’d join him and help him thwart your desires, happy to die for such a worthy cause.” THE CALM MUSIC ABRUPTLY STOPS. JULIAN STOPS TALKING TO HER AND LEAVES HER ALONE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. AFTER SHE FINISHES EATING SHE GOES TO THE LIBRARY AREA OF THE PENTHOUSE AND SELECTS A BOOK WHICH SHE SPENDS THE REST OF THE DAY READING. IT’S TITLED “Angelique and the Ghost.” LATER THAT DAY, SHE MAKES HERSELF DINNER THEN GOES BACK TO THE SAME CORNER IN THE ROOM AS THE NIGHT BEFORE, AGAIN SPENDING THE NIGHT SITTING LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AT THE LIGHTS OF PARIS AND THINKING. AGAIN SHE FALLS ASLEEP ON THE FLOOR.

CUT TO THE NEXT MORNING AS SHE AWAKENS IN THE SAME LUXURIOUS BED AND WONDERS IN VOICE OVER INSIDE HER HEAD “Twice now, I wonder how they get me in here?” AGAIN HER BREAKFAST IS WAITING ON THE DINING TABLE AND CALM MUSIC PLAYS. SHE ASKS: “Are you there Julian?” “Yes, Marigold, I’ll always be here my dear. Did you sleep well?” “Fine. Would you like to tell me now what it is you want from me?” “Yes, my dear, there are several rich and powerful men who are aware of your great beauty.” “Yes, you mentioned them yesterday.” “They’re interested in participating in a kind of time-sharing arrangement for your sexual favors.” WITHOUT HESITATION SHE RESPONDS “I see. If you sell me into sexual slavery I’ll attack these men sexually at my first opportunity and motivate them to kill me.” AGAIN THE MUSIC STOPS ABRUPTLY AND JULIAN LEAVES HER ALONE AND SHE AGAIN SPENDS THE DAY READING HER BOOK, EATING, LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW, AND FALLING ASLEEP ON THE FLOOR.

CUT TO THE NEXT MORNING SHE AWAKENS IN THE LUXURIOUS BED BUT THIS TIME SHE SHRUGS AND SAYS: “I wonder how… oh I don’t care how I got here.” SHE GOES INTO THE DINNING ROOM WHERE BREAKFAST IS WAITING AND CALM MUSIC IS PLAYS. JULIAN JOYFULLY SAYS: “Good Morning, Marigold” WHEN SHE SITS DOWN TO EAT SHE SAYS “Good Morning Julian.” AGAIN SHE ASKS: “Are you ready to tell me what you want from me?” THIS TIME HE TELLS HER: “Yes. You come from a very special bloodline my dear. Another member of your bloodline wants you give birth to a child of this bloodline.” SHE QUICKLY RETORTS: “This wouldn’t have anything to do with a virgin birth because my name’s not Mary… Seriously, I don’t want to have children – never did – and if you force me to then I’ll do all I can to abort the child.” THE MUSIC STOPS ABRUPTLY AND JULIAN LEAVES HER ALONE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. SHE READS, EATS, GOES TO HER CORNER, THINKS AND FALLS ASLEEP ON THE FLOOR.

CUT TO THE NEXT MORNING SHE AWAKENS IN THE LUXURIOUS BED AND GOES TO THE DINNING ROOM WHERE BREAKFAST IS WAITING AND CALM MUSIC PLAYS. JULIAN SAYS “Good Morning, my dear” “Good Morning Julian, so what lie are you going to tell me today?” HE GENTLY CHUCKLES THEN TELLS HER: “Several of my close friends in the French and U.S. Government believe there’s a gigantic meteor heading towards Earth and when it reaches us it will destroy all of humanity.” SHE ASKS NONCHALANTLY: “How long do we have Julian?” “Ten years or so.” “Oh, let me guess the rest.” SPEAKING SARCASTICALLY WHILE EATING HER BREAKFAST: “You’re an international Playboy and you’ve grown bored with your bevy of blonde bimbos, so now that time’s running short, you’ve decided you want to experience a quality woman and you’ve chosen me to spend your last, glorious years with.” AFTER A BRIEF PAUSE JULIAN SAYS EARNESTLY WITH A STRANGE NEW QUALITY IN HIS VOICE: “Yes Marigold, that’s right.” MARIGOLD ROLLS HER EYES AND SAYS DISDAINFULLY: “I think I should let you get to work Julian your lies are getting worse each day. I’m gonna read now.” THE MUSIC DOES NOT STOP THIS TIME, SHE STANDS UP AND GOES TO READ HER BOOK. AT NIGHT WHEN SHE’S THROUGH READING SHE GOES INTO THE BEDROOM WITH THE LUXURIOUS BED AND CLIMBS IN. SHE SAYS “Good Night Julian.” “Good Night Marigold.”

CUT TO THE NEXT AFTERNOON MARIGOLD IS SITTING IN A COZY CHAIR BY A WINDOW AND READS HER BOOT. SHE PUTS THE BOOK DOWN AND YAWNS LOUDLY. JULIAN TAKES THE OPPORTUNITY TO START TALKING TO HER: “How is your book my dear?” “Really amazingly good and I now wish I’d read it as my friend Catherine suggested I do almost 30 years ago. Are you familiar with Angelique?” “Yes, very familiar as I funded a new remake of the first book in the series.” “Is that right — will wonders never cease?!” “So, why are you provoking a conversation Julian, have you got your lie Du Jour ready to plant on me”? “I know you don’t believe me…” “That’s right I don’t at with this kind and quality of story…” “Here me out, you see, I’m involved in a kind of consortium and all of the other key members of our group insisted that you should be killed but I”… “Oh, please let me finish it, I’ve gotten the hang of all this now. Let’s see, you were the optimist amidst a sea of doubters and you insisted with your wit and charm you could sudue me and get me to obey you all and thus, I am in your debt because if not for you the other members of your group would have voted “Thumbs Down” for me and I’d be dead by now. I’m I in the ballpark?” “Right on the bullseye.” “You know, I used to have a friend who sold used cars and she told me about a trick that salesmen use to get people to buy their cars. She told me it works like this: Give the customer who you want to sell something to a “Loss Leader” and then they feel obligated and friendly and many times buy something. She was fond of giving a customer a free coke and she was amazed by how many cars she sold just by making the person feel obligated. I’m onto that trick Julian but I’m starting to have fun busting your silly stories.”

CUT TO THE NEXT MORNING SHE AWAKENS AND THINKS ABOUT HAVING PANCAKES, SYRUP AND BACON. JULIAN SAYS “Good Morning.” “Good Morning Julian.” HE SPEAKS TO HER VERY POLITELY AND KINDLY AND CALM MUSIC PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND. MARIGOLD ASKS “Let me ask you Julian, how is it that you got me into this bed without me remembering anyone picking me up and moving me here?” “I’m able to do many things for which you’ll have no explanation, but please don’t be disturbed by this.” SHE SHRUGS AND TELLS HIM AS SHE’S WALKING TO THE DINNING TABLE: “I’m very hungry this morning and I’d love pancakes with maple syrup and bacon.” WHEN SHE ARRIVES AT THE DINNING TABLE SHE FINDS HOT PANCAKES, MAPLE SYRUP AND BACON. SEEING THE FOOD SHE ASKS: “Is this the kind of thing you were just referring to?” “Yes.” SHE NOTICES THAT THERE’S A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE AND A GLASS OF IT POURED, SHE PICKS IT UP AND TASTES IT THEN SAYS: “It’s delicious.” THEN SHE SETS IT DOWN AND PUSHES IT OUT OF THE WAY “But I don’t drink.” AFTER EATING SHE GETS UP FROM THE TABLE AND WALKS BY A MIRROR AND NOTICES HER APPEARANCE HAS BECOME SLOVENLY. AT THIS POINT JULIAN ASKS “Is there anything that you need or want?” “Yes, I’d like some clean clothes and toiletries.” “In the bedroom closet you’ll find clothes. Toiletries are in the bathroom.” SHE GOES INTO THE BATHROOM TURNS ON THE TUB WATER AND SHUTS THE BATHROOM DOOR.

CUT TO HER AS SHE’S BATHING, RELAXING AND REFLECTING AND SHE REALIZES SHE NOW ENJOYS TALKING TO JULIAN BECAUSE HE’S SO CALM AND KIND. WHILE SOAKING IN THE TUB HE ASKS HER: “Marigold, there’s something I want you to do for me.” “What is it Julian?” “There are clothes on the bed I’d like you to wear?” “Sure.” SHE PAUSES AND WE HEAR CALM MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND. SHE ASKS: “What’s your favorite kind of music?” “Classical. And yours?” “I like disco for dancing; smooth jazz for driving; some pop songs and pop singers; and a lot of Motown like Sam Cooke and Al Green.”

CUT TO HER LEAVING THE BATHROOM WEARING A THIRSTY ROBE AND WALKING TO THE BED. UPON SEEING THE CLOTHES LAID OUT SHE SAYS “Nice clothes.” “I’m glad you like them.” SHE OPENS THE CURTAINS ALL THE WAY THEN HOPS INTO BED AND STARTS READING. JULIAN ASKS: “Why did you choose that book Marigold?” “A friend once gave it to me years ago and said that I reminded them of Angelique, but I never found the time to read it. Now I’m enjoying it… it’s comforting and calming.” “I’m pleased that you’re adjusting to this difficult situation, my dear.” AFTER A WHILE SHE FALLS ASLEEP.

CUT TO LATER THAT DAY, AS THE SUN SETS, MARIGOLD EMERGES FROM THE BEDROOM BEAUTIFULLY ADORNED WEARING AN ATTRACTIVE, MIDNIGHT BLUE SILK GOWN WITH A BELT MADE OF POLISHED COPPER. HER HAIR IS LONG AND FLOWING AND HER HIGH HEELS MATCH THE BELT.

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY WE SEE HER AT SUNSET IN A DIFFERENT ELEGANT OUTFIT APPLYING MAKEUP AND COIFFING HER HAIR.

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY WE SEE HER IN A NEW ELEGANT OUTFIT, PUTTING ON LIPSTICK, FLUFFING HER HAIR AND PUTTING ON HIGH-HEELS. SHE’S OBVIOUSLY ENJOYING GETTING MADE UP EACH DAY IN THE EXQUISITE ATIRE.

CUT TO DUSK THE NEXT DAY IN THE BEDROOM, SHE PARADES AROUND IN BRIGHTLY COLORED CLOTHING AND SHE SAYS “Julian, I particularly like this outfit.” “You look stunning. On the dinning table you’ll find something I’d like you to wear with it.” EXCITED, SHE HURRIES TO THE TABLE AND FINDS A JEWELRY BOX WHICH SHE OPENS. IT’S A VERY LARGE, DARK, HEART-SHAPED, SAPPHIRE PENDANT ON A ROSE GOLD CHAIN. SHE PUTS IT ON AND SAYS: “It’s amazing!” JULIAN PLAYS TCHAIKOVSKY’S “Nutcracker” AND SHE GENTLY GLIDES AROUND THE ROOM HOLDING HER ARMS UP AS IF SHE’S DANCING WITH A PARTNER. THEN SUDDENLY WHEN THE MUSIC STOPS SHE RUNS TO THE BEDROOM AND THROWS HERSELF ON THE BED SOBBING UNCONTROLLABLY. JULIAN PLAYS CALMING MUSIC BUT IT HAS LITTLE EFFECT. WHEN SHE CALMS DOWN HE ASKS: “Why are you so upset, my dear?” LONG PAUSE: “I’m lonely… [SOBS] So utterly lonely… Even though Jack wasn’t what anyone would call romantic… kind… or attentive… my husband was at least a flesh and blood human being. You’re a ghost, a ghost who, for some strange reason, is courting me better than any other man has ever courted me. Why, for god’s sake?!?! What did I ever do to you to deserve this from you?” NOW SHE RUNS TO THE THE CORNER OF THE ROOM AND SITS ON THE FLOOR AND SHE LOOKS OUT THE WINDOW AT THE LIGHTS OF PARIS AS SHE THINKS. LATER WE SEE HER – STILL ALL DRESSED UP — ASLEEP ON THE FLOOR.

CUT TO HER WAKING UP IN THE LUXURIOUS BED WEARING A NIGHTGOWN. “Good Morning Julian.” “Good Morning, are you feeling better?” “Yes, much better, thank you.” SHE GOES TO THE DINNING ROOM AND EATS AS ESPECIALLY CALMING MUSIC PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND. SHE READS HER NEW BOOK TITLED: “Angelique and the King.” AT SUNSET SHE DRESSES FORMALLY FOR DINNER. WE CAN HEAR IN JULIAN’S VOICE THAT HE’S THRILLED THAT MARIGOLD FEELS BETTER. DELIGHTED HE ASKS HER “My dear, if you could leave this penthouse and move around the hotel what would you like to do?” SHE ANSWERS EXCITEDLY: “Oh… I’d have a massage in the spa; a swim; I’d get my hair done at the salon; I’d get lots of French fashion magazines in the lobby; and I’d eat at Chez Michelle.” SHE CONTINUES EATING NONCHALANTLY.

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY JULIAN TELLS HER AS SHE’S EATING BREAKFAST: “Today I want you to move about the hotel and do the things you said you’d like to do.” THRILLED “Really!? “However, let me warn you that there will be dire consequences if you try to escape…or” INTERRUPTING “I won’t…” “And if you touch another man I’ll kill him.” MARIGOLD LOOKS CONFUSED BUT SAYS “Ahmm… yeah… right… ahmm…” SHE FROWNS AND LOOKS DOWN NOTICING HOW STRANGE HIS LAST STATEMENT WAS BUT THEN SHE SHRUGS IT OFF.

CUT TO MARIGOLD AS SHE EMERGES FROM THE BEDROOM DRESSED UP THEN SHE HEADS TO THE ELEVATOR. A SERIES OF SHOTS: FIRST SHE GOES TO THE SPA; THEN THE POOL; THEN THE SALON; THEN THE BOOK-STAND. SHE NOTICES CAMERAS IN EACH OF THESE LOCATIONS. MARIGOLD RETURNS AFTER HOURS OF PAMPERING TO THE 23RD FLOOR PENTHOUSE AND IS GREETED BY JULIAN: “Welcome back, how do you feel?” (Delightedly): “Like a Queen.”

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY SHE’S TAKING THE OUTFIT FROM THE BED THAT WAS LAID OUT: “What’s your favorite color Julian?” “Midnight Blue.” “And your favorite piece of music?” “Ave Maria.” “Do you have a pet dog or cat?” “No.” “Do you have brothers or sisters?” “Brothers.” “Do you know if I have brothers or sisters?” “Yes, my dear, you are an only child.” LONG PAUSE. “Julian, there’s something I’d like to have.” “Anything.” “Well, I thought about asking for the The Hope Diamond but there’s another I prefer, I just read about it in my book.” “Which one my dear?” “It’s called the “Love At First Sight” diamond.” “Yes, of course, I’ll get it for you.”

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY IN THE LIVING ROOM AT DUSK MARIGOLD OPENS A JEWELRY BOX CONTAINING A 56 KARAT HEART SHAPED DIAMOND WHICH IS NOT SET. SHE PICKS IT UP AND CARRIES IT TO THE WINDOW TO WATCH THE LIGHTS OF THE CITY DANCE ON IT’S FACE. SHE’S DELIGHTED AND SAYS: “It’s just amazing the quality they get these days from Cubic Zirconia.” “It’s real my dear.” “Yes Julian, that lie reminds me that it’s been a while since you told me a new lie about what you want from me. Are you ready yet to tell me another?” “Soon.” “You know, I hope this is some kind of strange fun for you, I mean, I hope you’re enjoying this.” “I am.”

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY MARIGOLD RIPS OUT PICTURES FROM THE MAGAZINES SHE GOT AND PILES THE PICTURES ON THE DINNING TABLE AND SAYS: “Julian” “Yes, darling.” SHE SEEMS SURPRISED BY HIS NEW TERM OF ENDEARMENT BUT STAGGERS ON: “I… I’ve put pictures of clothes, shoes and jewelry that I particularly like here on the table.” “I see that.” “Would you get them for me please.” “Certainly my love.” MARIGOLD IS STUNNED FURTHER BY THIS TERM OF ENDEARMENT BUT MANAGES TO SOLDIER ON.

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY SHE’S WEARING SOME OF THE CLOTHES WE SAW PICTURES OF AND SHE LOOKS MUCH MORE DRAMATIC. SHE OPENS ANOTHER JEWELRY BOX WITH ANOTHER STUNNING PENDANT WHICH SHE PUTS AROUND HER NECK. “Julian, I’d like to go to Chez Michelle tonight and eat with another human being. Would that be possible? Could you send me a companion to talk to… I… I mean just about trivial things like the weather, or the food, or my clothes, things like that, I’m just so lonely…I…” “Of course mi amor.” SHE IGNORES THE PROTESTATION OF LOVE “Thank you Julian.”

CUT TO LATER THAT NIGHT MARIGOLD EATING IN THE HOTEL RESTAURANT WITH AN ELDERLY ENGLISH WOMAN WHO IS VERY FORMAL BUT FRIENDLY.

CUT TO THE NEXT MORNING MARIGOLD’S DRESSED IN MORE OF THE CLOTHES SHE ASKED FOR, EATING BREAKFAST. “I enjoyed talking to Mrs. Seymour last night. Thank you for setting that up.” “You’re welcomed.” “Tell me, beloved, if you could go out of the hotel, out to social events, where would you like to go.” MARIGOLD THINKS FOR A MINUTE. “I’d like to see the Louvre and Notre Dame, I’d like to dance at a grand ball; go to plays and concerts and attend intimate dinner parties with fascinating people.” SHE GOES BACK TO READING HER NEW BOOK: “The Temptation of Angelique.”

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY SHE’S IN A NEW OUTFIT READING IN THE MAIN ROOM AND JULIAN SAYS: “Good morning, sweetheart. There’s something I’d like you to do.” “Yes Julian what is it.” THE CURTAINS AUTOMATICALLY CLOSE; A LARGE MOVIE SCREEN COMES DOWN FROM THE CEILING; THE FURNITURE AUTOMATICALLY MOVES INTO POSITION AND THE LIGHTS DIM. “Watch this.” MARIGOLD WATCHES THE FILM WHICH IS ABOUT A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, WHO LOOKS A BIT LIKE HER, DANCING AT AN ELEGANT BALL AND TALKING TO INTERESTING PEOPLE. WHEN IT’S OVER JULIAN ASKS: “Is this appealing to you?” “Oh, Yes!!!”

CUT TO THE NEXT NIGHT THE CURTAINS CLOSE; THE FURNITURE MOVES, THE SCREEN COMES DOWN; THE LIGHTS DIM AND A NEW FILM PLAYS. THIS TIME IT’S A VERY EXTENSIVE DOCUMENTARY ABOUT NOTRE DAME. MARIGOLD WATCHES INTENTLY.

CUT TO THE NEXT NIGHT MARIGOLD WATCHES A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE LOUVRE.

CUT TO THE NEXT NIGHT A CONCERT PLAYS ON THE SCREEN AND THE LAST SONG IS AN ARDENT LOVE SONG THAT’S SUNG IN A PASSIONATE MANNER. THE LIGHTS GO UP AND THE CURTAINS OPEN TO SHOW THE CITY LIGHTS AT NIGHT. MARIGOLD WALKS OVER TO THE WINDOW AND LOOKING OUT AT THE CITY SHE SAYS: “Julian, I want to tell you that I’m really enjoying these programs you’re presenting me. I feel so happy and yet… It’s so strange to like someone who has kidnapped me and taken my husband hostage… Are you trying to make me fall in love with you… is that your sinister plan?” NO ANSWER. “Is this some kind of revenge, or some strange kind of research… Julian, are you there?” “I’m here. Can we talk about this later. I… I’m unable to answer you now and I’m sorry that this is so diffi… There are so many things I should explain to you but… Soon mi amore… soon.”

CUT TO THE NEXT NIGHT WE SEE MARIGOLD WITH A GROUP OF CLASSICAL MUSICIANS AND SHE’S DANCING AROUND THE ROOM BY HERSELF, REALLY ENJOYING THE MUSIC. THE MUSICIANS LEAVE AND MARIGOLD SAYS: “That was heavenly. I’ve never heard that piece before.” “I had it created especially for you, beloved, it’s called “The Pearl of Greatest Cost.” SHE’S SURPRISED AND PLEASED. JULIAN ASKS: “In the refrigerator you’ll find a glass. I’d like you to try it. I had created for you.” “Okay.” SHE QUICKLY GETS IT OUT OF THE FRIG AND DRINKS IT AND STARTS BEHAVING LIKE SHE’S DRUNK – VERY TALKATIVE, BUBBLY, FUNNY, WHILE STILL DANCING AROUND THE ROOM EVEN THOUGH THERE’S NO MUSIC, SHE HUMS A TUNE TO DANCE TO. SHE SAYS: “Julian, that drink was delicious but I feel a bit strange, kind of carefree, light-hearted, delighted.” “I’m glad darling.” SHE GLIDES INTO HER BEDROOM. THEN WE SEE HER CLIMB INTO BED AND READ HER NEW BOOK: “Angelique in Love.”

CUT TO THE NEXT NIGHT AN OPERA SINGER SERENADES HER IN PERSON IN THE ROOM.

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY AS A WORLD FAMOUS CHEF COOKS FOR HER.

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY AS SHE’S EATING BREAKFAST JULIAN TELLS HER “Darling, I have a present for you – a new song I’ve commissioned for you.” SHE FINISHES THE LAST BITE OF FOOD AND GOES TO SIT IN A LARGE COMFY CHAIR TO LISTEN. WHEN SHE’S SNUGGLED IN SHE SAYS: “OK, I’m ready.” THE SONG PLAYS OUT. NEAR THE END WE REACH THE PART OF THE SONG WHERE THE SINGER SAYS: “Who do you think you are? You really think you’re in control? Well, I think you’re crazy…” WHEN SHE HEARS THESE LINES AND THE WAY THEY’RE SUNG, SHE FEELS THAT THE LYRICS ARE SINISTER AND OVERBEARING, SUGGESTING A GLOATING DOMINATION THAT SHE’S NEVER ENCOUNTERED IN JULIAN BEFORE, CAUSING HER TO HAVE A STRANGE REACTION. WHEN THE SONG IS OVER SHE MUSTERS HER COMPOSURE AND LIES AND SAYS “It’s very nice.” THEN SHE GOES TO THE LIBRARY AND PICKS OUT ANOTHER NOVEL TITLED: “Angelique in Revolt.”

~PART 2: ANGELIQUE’S ESCAPE~

CUT TO THE NEXT MORNING UPON WAKING MARIGOLD ASKS: “Good morning Julian, would it be alright if I went to the salon today to have my nails done?” “Of course, Baby.” MARIGOLD PUTS ON HER FAVORITE OUTFIT AND JULIAN SAYS: “Isn’t that your favorite?” “Yes, or rather it was my favorite but now the yellow silk one that’s your favorite is also my favorite.” SHE PUTS ON A LOT OF JEWELS, VIRTUALLY EVERY PIECE JULIAN HAS GIVEN HER. WHEN SHE’S FINISHED GETTING DRESSED JULIAN SAYS: “Why so much jewelry my love?” “Oh…you see…I want to be close to you Julian and since you gave me all of these, wearing them somehow keeps you close to me.” “I see darling.” MARIGOLD WALKS TO THE WINDOW WHERE SHE LAST SAW HER HUSBAND AND LOOKS OUT AT PARIS IN THE MORNING. SHE GOES TO THE ELEVATOR AND GETS IN. IN THE LOBBY SHE’S SUPPOSED TO TURN RIGHT WHEN SHE EXITS THE ELEVATOR BUT SHE WALKS STRAIGHT AHEAD TO THE FRONT DOOR OF THE HOTEL WHERE A VALET IS HOLDING OPEN THE HOTEL DOOR FOR OTHER GUESTS AS MARIGOLD WALKS BY. OUTSIDE ANOTHER VALET HOLDS OPEN THE DOOR OF A PORSCHE SUV FOR A PATRON, HOWEVER, MARIGOLD GETS IN THE CAR FIRST AND STEALS IT. SHE TAKES OFF AT HIGH-SPEED.

CUT TO MARIGOLD DRIVING CRAZILY AS SHE’S DECIDED TO KILL HERSELF USING THE SUV. SHE RAMPAGES THROUGH PARIS SEEKING A WAY TO KILL HERSELF THAT’S NOT TOO PAINFUL AND THAT WON’T HARM OR KILL OTHERS. SHE TURNS ON THE RADIO AND JULIAN’S VOICE COMES OVER THE SPEAKERS ASKING HER (STILL SOMEWHAT CALMLY) “Marigold, my love, what are you doing?” “I’m testing your theory, you think I’m crazy for believing I have any control… Let’s see if I have any.” SHE SPEEDS UP TO A MACK TRUCK AND SAYS “How about this, I could just drive right up under the back of the truck.” “That’s very unlikely to kill you and if it did it would be a profoundly painful and drawn out death.” PAUSE “Yes, I think you’re right.” SHE SPEEDS UP TO AN OVERPASS THAT’S ABOUT ONE STORY TALL AND ASKS: “How about this, if I could somehow get the car to crash through the barriers that’s a decent height to fall.” “It’s not enough to be sure you won’t just be injured or paralyzed.” “Perhaps your right.” SHE SPEEDS DOWN THE HIGHWAY FREAKING OUT THE OTHER DRIVERS AS SHE BLOWS BY THEM AT HIGH SPEED. JULIAN SAYS: “Please, darling tell me what’s wrong — what set you off?” “That song last night, it was sinister and mocking, laughing at my lack of control… so let’s just see if I still have enough control to end all this…” SHE TURNS THE SUV SO QUICKLY IT ALMOST OVERTURNS, THEN SPEEDS TOWARDS A BRIDGE. SHE SEES A PLACE WHERE SHE COULD LIKELY CRASH THROUGH THE RAILING AND ASKS: “How about this, that barrier’s thin I could just crash into it and then go off the bridge.” JULIAN FORCING HIMSELF TO BE CALM: “The fall’s not high enough to ensure death, you’d likely end up with only massive injuries and you might hit the construction workers below.” MARIGOLD LOOKS AT THE DISTANCE TO THE GROUND AND CONCURS “Yes, you’re right I need to find some height, some sheer cliffs… SHE LOOKS AHEAD AND SEES MOUNTAINS AND SAYS: Ah, yes… now I know where to go.”

CUT TO MARIGOLD DRIVING ON A NARROW LEDGE ABOVE A VERY STEEP CLIFF SHE SAYS: “These cliffs are very steep… but I need to find a spot where I could be sideways on the road and rev the engine so I can sail out away from the cliff. There, up ahead…oh, that’s perfect.” SHE HEADS TO A WIDE PART OF THE ROAD WHERE SHE COULD GET TRACTION BEFORE GOING OFF THE CLIFF. JULIAN SAYS NOTHING. SHE’S ALREADY STATED THE REASONS SHE’S CONVINCED IT’S PERFECT, SHE’S FINALLY FOUND AN ACCEPTABLE WAY TO KILL HERSELF YET SHE DRIVES ON AND DOES NOT DO IT. SHE TAKES A WHILE BEFORE SAYING: “Thank you for not pretending there was some flaw with that one – you probably would have sent me over the edge by lying to me again.” “Baby I…” “Look Julian, if I can’t be happy I don’t want to live, and I can’t be happy if I have no control.” JULIAN’S VOICE REVEALS HE’S CLEARLY SHAKEN UP. “I’d ask you again why you’ve taken me and my husband as your prisoners but you’ve lied so many times I can’t believe anything you say now. Of course, I don’t want you to hurt Jack but I’ve got to try my best to go back to controlling my life and trying to be happy. No matter how wonderful you’ve been to me, I can’t trust you so I’ve got to get away from you.” SHE PARKS THE SUV AND GRABS A BACKPACK SHE FINDS ON THE BACK SEAT AND PUTS ALL THE JEWELS, EXCEPT THE EARINGS SHE’S WEARING, INTO THE BACKPACK, THEN SHE GETS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, WEARING THE BACKPACK AND STARTS WALKING DOWN THE ROAD. WE HEAR JULIAN’S VOICE CALLING AFTER HER – DESPERATELY: “Marigold… Don’t go… Darling please… Your killing me… please wait… COME BACK BABY!!!…” WE SEE THAT MARIGOLD HEARD HIM SAY THIS AND IT MOTIVATES HER TO RUN. NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME WE SEE JULIAN WHO IS A VERY ATTRACTIVE MIDDLE AGED MAN AND HE’S FRANTIC, DISTRAUGHT, DESPERATE.

CUT TO MARIGOLD WALKING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND A CAB DRIVER SEES HER AND PULLS OVER. HE ASKS “Do you need a ride?” “I have no money.” “That’s OK, I’m driving to town anyway, get in.” SHE GET’S IN AND HE ASKS: “What are you doing out here?” “Trying to kill myself.” “But you’re too beautiful to die.” SHE SMILES AT HIM IN THE MIRROR. “What’s your name?” “Marigold. And yours?” “Michael.” What do you do?” “I… I… I’m looking for a Billionaire.” “Why” “I need a lot of money to pay the man who took my husband prisoner.” “How much does he want?” “He won’t tell me but he’s very powerful and rich, so he must want a lot.” THE SUN SETS AS THEY HEAD TOWARD A SMALL TOWN IN FRANCE.

CUT TO MARIGOLD AND MICHAEL AS THEY WALK OUT OF A PAWN SHOP WITH MARIGOLD NO LONGER WEARING THE PAIR OF 3 KARAT CANARY DIAMOND EARRINGS. MARIGOLD GIVES MICHAEL MONEY AND SHE SAYS TO HERSELF IN V.O.: “I didn’t believe Julian when he said these were real.” SHE PUTS A WAD OF CASH IN THE SIDE POCKET AND CLOSES THE ZIPPER OF HER BACKPACK AND PUTS IT ON HER BACK. THEY WALK TO THE TOWN SQUARE AND SIT TOGETHER LOOKING AT A FOUNTAIN WITH A SCULPTURE OF A BEAUTIFUL MERMAID IN IT. MICHAEL SAYS: “If you’re serious about finding a billionaire, my brother runs a casino in Monte Carlo where lots of very rich men go to loose money to the casinos and to beautiful women — like you. I can take you there and get you a job at the private club at the casino.” SHE VERY SINCERELY SAYS: “Thank you — let’s do it.”

CUT TO WIDE ANGLE SHOT OF THE NIGHTCLUB IN A MONTE CARLO CASINO CALLED “Troy.” ZOOM INTO THE FRONT DOORS OPENED BY VALETS AND THE FIRST THING WE SEE IS THE STUNNING MARIGOLD DRESSED MAGNIFICENTLY WELCOMING THE PATRONS TO THE CLUB: “Good evening, welcome to Troy.” CAMERA PANS AROUND THE CLUB TO SEE THE GLITTERATI DRINKING, DANCING, AND PARTYING. MARIGOLD’S BEAUTY IS THE TALK OF THE CLUB AND PEOPLE CALL HER “Helen of Troy.”

CUT TO A SERIES OF SHOTS OF MARIGOLD SERIALLY DATING HALF A DOZEN VERY RICH MEN: ON YACHTS; ATTENDING AUCTIONS; PURCHASING STALLIONS; SHOPPING FOR CARS; JEWELRY, FURS, ETC. ONE MAN KEEPS APPEARING IN A SERIES OF SHOTS WHERE HE AND MARIGOLD KISS AND HOLD HANDS LOOKING LIKE THEY’RE ABOUT TO HAVE A SEXUAL ENCOUNTER.

CUT TO NEWSPAPER HEADLINES AND PHOTOS INDICATING THIS MAN HAS LOST HIS MASSIVE FORTUNE AND HAD TO LEAVE MONTE CARLO.

CUT TO ANOTHER SERIES OF SHOTS OF MARIGOLD DATING ANOTHER BATCH OF RICH MEN IN VARIOUS LOCALS. AGAIN, ONE MAN KEEPS APPEARING IN A NEW SERIES OF SHOTS WITH MARIGOLD, KISSING HER AND DANCING INTIMATELY.

CUT TO A BAR AND A TV SHOWING VIDEO OF MARIGOLD AND THIS MAN EMBRACING AND HEARING IN VOICE-OVER THAT THE MAN HAS LOST HIS FORTUNE AND HAS LEFT MONTE CARLO.

CUT TO EUGENIO (THE CASINO MANAGER) TALKING TO HIS BROTHER MICHAEL (wearing card dealer clothes) AS THEY BOTH WATCH MARIGOLD INTERACT WITH A NEW MAN – NICKI ASTON (WHO IS JULIAN). EUGENIO SAYS TO MICHAEL TALKING ABOUT NICKI/JULIAN “He lost 7 million last night at the tables. He’s the richest man in the world.” “Even though her other suitors all went bankrupt right when they got serious with her, look at him, he’s just walking right into it.” WE SEE JULIAN WALK CLOSER TO MARIGOLD. EUGENIO: “Hordes of cultured, beautiful women throw themselves at him to no avail.” “Maybe he’s gay.” THEY BOTH LOOK AT JULIAN AND MARIGOLD WHO ARE CLEARLY FLIRTING WITH EACH OTHER AND MICHAEL SAYS “Definitely not. Her beauty… her mind… her character… she’s so endearing… it seems no man can resister her – no matter the cost.” “You know what they’re calling her now all her boyfriends end up bankrupt?” “No, what?” “Hell of Troy.”

CUT TO MARIGOLD LEAVING THE CLUB WITH NICKI (JULIAN) AND GETTING INTO HIS NEW MASERATI ALFIERI. WHEN SHE WAS HIS CAPTIVE, MARIGOLD NEVER SAW JULIAN, SHE ONLY HEARD HIS VOICE BUT IT WAS MASKED SO SHE DOES NOT REALIZE THAT NICKI ASTON IS JULIAN.

CUT TO MARIGOLD GETTING READY FOR BED AND READING THE BOOK “Angelique and the Conspiracy of Shadows.”

CUT TO A MONTAGE OF SHOTS OF MARIGOLD AND NICKI (JULIAN) HAVING A GENUINELY GREAT TIME TOGETHER. HE’S KIND AND GRACIOUS AND BEHAVES LIKE SOME KIND OF ROYALTY, COURTING HER VERY FORMALLY.

CUT TO MARIGOLD AND NICKI (JULIAN) ON A MASSIVE BLACK YACHT. MARIGOLD IS READING “Angelique and the Demon.”

CUT TO MARIGOLD (DRESSED AS AN ANGEL) AS NICKI (JULIAN) WHO IS DRESSED AS A VAMPIRE AND HE PLACES A GIANT BLOOD RED, PEAR-SHAPED RUBY PENDANT AROUND HER NECK.

CUT TO THEIR ARRIVAL IN HIS MASERATI AFLIERI, AT AN ELEGANT COSTUME BALL AT A MASSIVE FRENCH CHATEAU. APPROACHING THE BALLROOM, THEY MAKE A DRAMATIC ENTRANCE AND ARE THE TALK OF THE BALL. NICKI IS BEAMING WITH DELIGHT SHOWING OFF MARIGOLD TO THE GLITTERATI. HE SAYS IN A NONPLUSSED MANNER UNAWARE OF WHAT HE’S CONFESSING: “This, my dear, is what you told me you wanted in Paris.” MARIGOLD’S FACE SHOWS HER PERPLEXITY, BUT NICKI (JULIAN) DOES NOT NOTICE IT AS SHE GESTURES “YES” AND THEY WALK TOGETHER ARM AND ARM THROUGH THE ADORING CROWD.

CUT TO MARIGOLD IS IN THE LADIES ROOM SITTING ON A FANCY CHAIR LOST IN HER THOUGHTS, WHICH WE HEAR IN V.O.: “Nicki and I have never been to Paris together… What was he talking about… I told Julian I wanted to attend a fancy dress ball… Could he be?… He’s very graceful and gentle like Julian… Very gallant… We’ve been dating for two months and his fortune is still intact… Oh my god!…” COMING TO THE CONVICTION THAT NICKI ASTON IS JULIAN, MARIGOLD STANDS UP AND SAYS OUT-LOUD: “I’ve got to get out of here.” SHE RUSHES OUT OF THE LADIES ROOM.

CUT TO MARIGOLD MAKING HER WAY TO THE GARAGE OF THE CHATEAU. SHE FLIPS ON A LIGHT IN THE GARAGE AND WE SEE A DOZEN EXOTIC CONCEPT CARS. SHE GLANCES OVER THEM AND ONE STANDS OUT, A FIERY, COPPER COLORED CAR LIKE NO OTHER: “The Vulcano” (http://www.topspeed.com/cars/icona/2013-icona-vulcano-concept-ar150771.html ). SHE LOOKS AT THE HOOD AND SEES THE LOGO OF AN ERUPTING VOLCANO THEN WALKS TO AN AREA WHERE SHE EXPECTS THE KEYS TO BE. SHE TAKES THE KEYS WITH AN EMBLEM OF AN ERUPTING VOLCANO AND THEN OPENS THE GARAGE DOOR. WE HEAR THE CAR START UP AND THE ROAR OF IT’S POWERFUL ENGINE.

CUT TO WIDE SHOT OF JULIAN GAMBLING EXPERTLY, WINNING HUGE AMOUNTS.

CUT TO WIDE SHOT OF MARIGOLD DRIVING EXPERTLY AROUND A SERIES OF HAIRPIN CURVES AT HIGH SPEED NEAR A FOREST. SHE SPIES A TREE-HOUSE AND PULLS OVER.

CUT TO A SERIES OF SHOTS OF JULIAN TALKING TO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE WHO CLEARLY ENJOY HIS CHARM AND GRACIOUS WIT.

CUT TO MARIGOLD SITING IN THE MIDDLE OF A VERY LARGE TREE-HOUSE – WITH HER BALL GOWN ENCASING HER IN A PLETHORA OF CONCENTRIC RINGS ALMOST DROWNING HER IN CRINOLINE. NOW SHE’S THINKING THE WAY SHE DID SO MANY TIMES WHEN SHE WAS SITTING IN THE CORNER OF THE PARIS PENTHOUSE STARRING OUT THE WINDOW.

CUT TO A GROUP OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN SURROUNDING JULIAN EACH TRYING TO SEDUCE HIM – TO NO AVAIL.

CUT TO THE VULCANO PARKED OUTSIDE OF A FRUMPY PARISIAN COMEDY CLUB WITH GAWKERS SURROUNDING IT. A MAN TOUCHES IT AND THE CAR SHOCKS HIM. HE TOUCHES IT AGAIN AND IT SHOCKS HIM MORE. THE CROWD BACKS AWAY.

CUT TO JULIAN TALKING TO OTHER MEN ABOUT SERIOUS BUSINESS ISSUES IN AN ELEGANT DARK LIBRARY IN THE CHATEAU.

CUT TO INSIDE THE CLUB MARIGOLD – WHO DOES NOT NORMALLY DRINK – IS DRINKING “Perrier-Jouet” CHAMPAGNE VERY QUICKLY. A NEW COMEDIAN – MARC JOSEF – WALKS ONTO THE STAGE IN THE BACKGROUND. HE’S A DEMETRI MARTIN TYPE OF COMEDIAN WITH A GUITAR AND LONG STORIES HE TELLS MOST OF WHICH NO ONE LAUGHS AT, HOWEVER MARIGOLD LAUGHS LOUDLY THROUGHOUT HIS PERFORMANCE. MARC SAYS: “Thanks for coming to the show tonight… We get all kinds of people here… some locals who just live in the area… how many locals?” [MOST PEOPLE RAISE THEIR HANDS] “And some come from far away and some…” HE LOOKS DIRECTLY AT MARIGOLD – “some stop in just just for a tax deduction… I guess… Oh it’s August, a little early for tax deductions…” AGAIN SHE LAUGHS LOUDLY. WHEN MARC IS THROUGH HE STEPS DOWN AND WALKS DIRECTLY TO MARIGOLD’S TABLE AND ASKS: “May I join you?” SHE DELIGHTEDLY SAYS: “Yes please.” “I couldn’t help notice that you liked my act.” “Oh my god, you’re saving my life tonight.” MARC GESTURES ASKING IF HE CAN HAVE A DRINK OF CHAMPAGNE SHE NODS APPROVAL. HE THROWS BACK A GLASS AND ASKS “Who are you?” “Marigold.” “I’m Marc – Marc Josef.” “Marc, I have a favor to ask you: I need someone to drive me, I’m too inebriated so would you drive me home?” “Of course.”

CUT TO THEM EXITING THE CLUB. THE CROWD PARTS REALIZING THAT THE VULCANO BELONGS TO MARIGOLD. THE CROWD WATCHES AS SHE AND MARC WRESTLE HER BALLGOWN INTO THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. MARC GETS IN TO DRIVE. HE MAKES THE CAR STALL OUT SEVERAL TIMES. WE SEE HER GESTURE INSTRUCTIONS TO GUIDE HIM TO WORK THE CLUTCH PROPERLY. HE STAYS CALM AND LEARNS.

CUT TO THE VULCANO WINDING TOWARDS THE SAME FOREST WHERE MARIGOLD WAS EARLIER.

CUT TO INSIDE THE TREE-HOUSE MARIGOLD DISROBES INTO HER JUST THE SLIP OF HER BALL GOWN. THEY FIND BLANKETS AND SIT ON THE FLOOR. MARIGOLD TELLS MARC EVERYTHING, I.E., ALL ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENED TO HER, AND SHE’S RELIEVED AS IT FEELS SO GOOD TO TELL ANOTHER PERSON. MARC BELIEVES HER AND SAYS “We need to disable the built in tracker on the Vulcano so it won’t lead Nicki or Julian right to us.” SHE NODS AGREEMENT. MARC CLIMBS DOWN AND DISABLES IT. THEN CLIMBS BACK UP AND THEY FALL ASLEEP.

CUT TO THE CHATEAU IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS, JULIAN’S WRITING A CHECK FOR 10 MILLION DOLLARS TO PAY FOR THE VULCANO AND FOR ITS OWNER’S SILENCE. JULIAN: “I invested in this company and happen to know you paid 4 million for this car. I trust this amount (WE SEE CLOSE-UP OF THE CHECK 10,000,000.) will satisfy you. THE OWNER NODS HIS AGREEMENT. Please grant my beloved your forgiveness – she can be so impulsive.” THE CAR OWNER NODS HIS APPROVAL AGAIN.

CUT TO JULIAN DRIVING THE MASERATI ALFIERI EXPERTLY WHILE PUSHING BUTTONS AND TURNING DIALS AS IT NOW HAS HIGH-TECH EQUIPMENT DISPLAYED THROUGHOUT IT.

CUT TO THE NEXT MORNING AS MARC GIVES MARIGOLD HIS POCKET KNIFE AND HELPS HER CUT HER DRESS DOWN TO SIZE. SHE USES THE BOTTOM A METAL PAN AS A MIRROR TO FIX HER MAKE-UP WHILE MARC SCROUNGES UP SOME FOOD, WHICH ARE A BIG BAG OF CHEETOS.

CUT TO OUTSIDE OF THE NIGHTCLUB WHERE MARIGOLD MET MARC, JULIAN STEPS BACK INTO HIS MASERATI AND STARTS PULLING LEVERS AND PUSHING BUTTONS.

CUT TO MARIGOLD AND MARC – COVERED IN CHEETOS DUST – SPEEDING AWAY FROM THE TREE-HOUSE, MARC THROWS THE EMPTY BAG OF CHEETOS OUT THE WINDOW AND STARTS READING THE OWNERS MANUAL.

CUT TO JULIAN DRIVING AROUND THE FOREST AND DISCOVERING THE TREE-HOUSE.

CUT TO INSIDE THE TREE-HOUSE JULIAN FINDS THE DISCARDED PARTS OF MARIGOLD’S DRESS. HE PICKS UP A PIECE OF THE FABRIC AND SMELLS IT, THEN HOLDS IT CLOSE TO HIS HEART FEELING COMFORTED. HE TAKES IT WITH HIM.

CUT TO MARIGOLD AND MARC EXITING A PAWN SHOP AND SHE NO LONGER WEARS THE HUGE RUBY PENDANT.

CUT TO ROAD SIGNS THAT INDICATE THAT MARIGOLD AND MARC HAVE DRIVEN INTO SPAIN. SHE SAYS “I’m hungry.” “Me too.” THEY PULL OVER AND ENTER A TINY CAFE. AFTER EATING THE SERVER TAKES AWAY THE PLATES. MARC ASKS: “So, what do you want to do?” “I want to be happy.” “How do you propose to do that in this bizarre situation?” “I’m working on figuring that out. It seems all I have that’s desirable is my beauty and my… Borzoi… friskiness… delight… it’s hard to explain. I could go find another club like Troy to find more rich men but Julian will no doubt destroy their fortunes too.” “No doubt.” “Still, if I go through them faster that he can destroy them then I may be able to eek out a few more months or years of romantic enjoyment before he finds me again and it seems my only alternative is to kill myself.” MARC LOOKS DISTRAUGHT AS HE CONSIDERS THE FACTS. “Well, we bought some time by selling your pendant. We’ll figure something out.” THEY STAND AND WALK TOWARDS THE BACK OF THE RESTAURANT. “I have a friend on the Spanish island of Menorca, Dr. Constanton, he was my composition teacher – before I became a comedian. Let’s go see him. No one will look for us there.” SHE NODS IN AGREEMENT. THEY PAY THE OWNER OF THE RESTAURANT FOR THE FOOD.

CUT TO MARC DRIVING THE VULCANO INTO THE RESTAURANT OWNER’S GARAGE AND PAYING HIM FOR GARAGE SPACE FOR THE VULKANO.

CUT TO MARC PAYING A FISHERMAN THEN MARC AND MARIGOLD GETTING ON A SMALL BOAT AND GOING TO THE SPANISH ISLAND OF MENORCA.

CUT TO JULIAN DRIVING IN HIS MASERATI AND A ROAD SIGN INDICATES HE’S COMING INTO SPAIN.

CUT TO MARC AND MARIGOLD ARRIVING AT THE HOME ATOP THE ISLAND OF MENORCA. IT HAS A PLAQUE OUTSIDE THAT READS “Monte Toro.” THEY’RE WELCOMED BY DR. CONSTANTON WHO HUGS MARC AND SHAKES THE HAND OF MARIGOLD. “It’s been so long Marc!” “My friend Marigold and I need a place to rest and relax and I couldn’t think of anywhere better than here with you.”

CUT TO DR. CONSTANTON’S MAID SERVING THEM DINNER ON THE BALCONY OVERLOOKING THE SEA NEAR SUNSET. MARC SAYS: “Marigold, tell me more about your husband Jack, what does he do?” “He’s a brilliant philosopher working on a project we co-founded and struggled to create that I call “The Science of Happiness.” CONSTANTON: “Are you working on a secular ethical system?” “Yes.” “That has not been approached in the history of philosophy since Aristotle.” “There have been others since but they are not well known and while making great progress, the person I have in mind did not actually achieve such a system.”

CUT TO LATER THAT NIGHT, MARIGOLD AND DR. CONSTANTON CHAT CAUSALLY WHILE MARC’S LOST IN THOUGHT. MARC SUDDENLY COMES BACK TO THE MOMENT AND HE TELLS MARIGOLD: “You said that you saw Jack held on a helicopter outside the window of the hotel in Paris.” “That’s right.” “Have you ever looked for him since you ran away from Julian?” “No, I assumed that Julian’s holding him hostage. Why?” MARC TO DR. CONSTANTON: “Can I use your computer?” “Of course.” MARC LEAVES AND GOES INTO THE HOUSE AND THE SUN GOES DOWN WITH MARIGOLD AND DR. CONSTANTON ENJOYING THE SUNSET.

CUT TO LATER THAT NIGHT MARIGOLD GOES INTO A BEDROOM AND CLIMBS INTO A VERY TALL FOUR POSTER BED AND READS “Angelique in the New World,” THEN SHE FALLS ASLEEP. MARC RESEARCHES SOMETHING ON THE COMPUTER UNTIL THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. DR. CONSTANTON FALLS ASLEEP ON THE SOFA.

CUT TO MORNING AND MARIGOLD AND DR. CONSTANTON ARE EATING BREAKFAST AND MARC IS SLEEPING. MARC AWAKES AND GOES OUT ON THE TERRACE AND TELLS MARIGOLD: “Good Morning.” “Good Morning. What were you researching all night?” “Your husband. Marigold, he was never taken hostage, he’s alive and well living in San Francisco. Julian must have had a look-alike on the helicopter just to make you think he’d taken him.” “Why would he do that?” DR. CONSTANTON: “Perhaps to control you by getting you to think that if you didn’t obey him he’d hurt the person you love most in the world.” MARIGOLD: “But why… why did he do all of this? I can’t understand it.” MARC: “Your husband’s a very interesting man. Since Julian kidnapped you, Jack’s ideas have really taken off and are getting popular and he’s now a highly sought after speaker and consultant to major organizations and institutions. His ideas are being taken very seriously.” “I’m happy to hear that, he was frustrated that he wasn’t effecting the culture.” MARC: “It occurred to me that Julian was not after you Marigold, but rather was after controlling Jack, and you were the best means that he saw for controlling him, after all, a woman in love will do things that she would not otherwise do. If Julian got you to fall in love with him then he could indirectly control Jack with your help.” MARIGOLD STANDS UP AND PACES: “I never considered that, but yes, you’re right.” “It’s just a theory but… What did you think Julian’s motive was?” “After all the lies he told me, I resigned myself to the fact that Julian was too clever to be understood. But because I never trusted him, no matter how well he treated me, I never actually fell in love with him. My guiding beacon is to never have regrets, to never sacrifice my happiness – especially to never sacrifice my values myself! So no matter how strange and bizarre my environment I always try my best to make the most of my situation, to get as much happiness as possible. It’s hard to believe but in Paris if Julian had been consistently kind, I would have fallen in love with him but suddenly one day I thought of him as controlling and unkind and that’s the day I escaped and nearly killed myself just to get away from him.”

CUT TO JULIAN PAYING MONEY TO THE RESTAURANT OWNER AS THEY LOOK AT THE VULCANO IN HIS GARAGE. JULIAN REACHES UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR AND TAKES OFF A MAGNETIC MOUNTED TRACKING DEVICE. HE PUSHES BUTTONS ON IT AND THEN REPLACES IT ON THE CAR.

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY, MARC AND MARIGOLD SWIM IN THE OCEAN AND FROLIC ON THE BEACH WITH DR. CONSTANTON’S TWO SPANISH WATER DOGS. ACCIDENTALLY, MARC AND MARIGOLD FALL INTO AN EMBRACE AND MARC QUICKLY PULLS AWAY FROM HER. SHE’S FINE WITH IT BUT ASKS: “You’re the first man I’ve ever encountered who doesn’t seem to want me?” “I fear for my life Marigold, Julian’s a very powerful man and he treats you like you’re his property, like he’s a King and you’re his Queen. I know enough history to know the punishment for bedding the Queen.” (Dejected) “I never thought of it like that but you’re right. That’s a perfect analogy. I’ve brought you into harms way… I’m sorry… I’m a pariah… a…” (Interrupting) “Marigold, I’m having the time of my life and if the King finds us we’ll simply say – and it’s true – that I believed it too dangerous to let you wonder around alone, so I came to protect you.” “Yes, of course Marc.”

INSERT READS “4 Months Later.”

CUT TO THE LIVING ROOM THAT NIGHT, DR. CONSTANTON PLAYS CLASSICAL MUSIC ON THE PIANO (see the music of Ludivico Einavdi) WHILE MARIGOLD AND MARC RELAX AND ENJOY IT. WHEN FINISHED DR. CONSTANTON TELLS MARC: “Tomorrow night I’m going to Zaragoza to perform at a private party given in honor of the birthday of the Countessa Maria Romano and I’d like you to come with me. There’ll be many European aristocrats and royalty so I think it best if Marigold stays here.” MARIGOLD TO MARC: “He’s right, you go and have fun! I’ll wait for you here with Paco and Dante.” SHE PETS DR. CONSTANTON’S SPANISH WATER DOGS AS SHE SAYS THEIR NAMES.

CUT TO THE NEXT NIGHT AT A FANCY PARTY IN ZARAGOZA. DR. CONSTANTON PLAYS ORIGINAL CLASSICAL MUSIC HE’S COMPOSED FOR THE OCCASION. THE ATTENTIVE CROWD OF WEALTHY ARISTOCRATS CLEARLY ENJOYS THE MUSIC. IN THE SHADOWS WE SEE JULIAN.

CUT TO LATER THAT NIGHT, THE CROWD IS DANCING IN A GRAND BALLROOM AND A BEAUTIFUL SPANISH WOMAN (MARIA) IS DANCING WITH MARC. SHE ASKS HIM: “How long have you been in the area?” “Not long, we…I just arrived a few days ago.” “And where are you staying?” “With my friend…[HE STARTS TO GESTURE TOWARDS DR. CONSTANTON BUT STOPS MIDWAY]. With my friend in… town here.” “What’s your name?” “Maria.” “And yours?” “Marc.” “What do you do?” “I’m a comedian.” “Oh how wonderful! Let me take you to comedy club in town.” “Ah well sure… um yeah… that’s fine…I a… give me your number.” SHE PULLS OUT A CARD AND PUTS IT INTO THE POCKET OF HIS SHIRT THEN SMILES SEXILY, AND SAYS “Call me soon chakita.” HE SMILES, SHE WALKS AWAY WHILE LOOKING AT HIM ENTICINGLY.

CUT TO DR. CONSTANTON AND MARC LEAVING THE GALA AND WE SEE MARIA TALKING TO JULIAN.

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY MARC CALLS MARIA AND HE’S LAUGHING ON THE PHONE TALKING TO HER: “Yeah, tomorrow night, okay, around 8. What? Yeah sure, I’ll ask him if he’s busy. Ok, bye.” MARC WALKS INTO THE LIVING ROOM AND SAYS TO DR. CONSTANTON: “That was Maria the girl I was dancing with at the party. I’m meeting her at a comedy club tomorrow night and she suggested I ask you if you’d like to join us?” SURPRISED “Are you sure? Three’s a crowd.” “Yeah I’m sure.” “Alright that sounds fun.”

CUT TO DUSK THE NEXT DAY, MARC AND DR. CONSTANTON ARE BEING TAKEN BY BOAT TO THE MAINLAND. AROUND THE CORNER OF THE ISLAND, SLOWLY AND SINISTERLY, WE SEE JULIAN’S GIANT BLACK YACHT ANCHORING.

CUT TO ALMOST DUSK AS JULIAN ARRIVES AT THE OUTER GATE OF DR. CONSTANTON’S HOUSE AND THE DOGS RUN UP TO HIM LIGHTLY BARKING.

CUT TO MARIGOLD THINKING ABOUT LOOKING OUTSIDE TO SEE WHY THE DOGS ARE BARKING BUT IN A MOMENT THEY’RE QUIET. WE SEE JULIAN PUTTING A HIGH-TECH GADGET INTO HIS COAT POCKET AND THE DOGS ARE FAST ASLEEP ON THE GROUND.

CUT TO JULIAN KNOCKING GENTLY THEN ENTERING THE HOUSE. MARIGOLD’S NEAR THE DOOR AND IS SURPRISED TO SEE HIM. HE WALKS TO HER AND TAKES HER HAND AND LAVISHES KISSES ON IT THEN SAYS: “Mi Amore, thank god you’re safe.” SHE CAN’T SPEAK. HE GENTLY TAKES HER TO THE SOFA AND SITS HER DOWN. RECOMPOSING HERSELF SHE SAYS NONCHALANTLY: “Did you kill the dogs?” “Of course not mi amore.” SHRUGGING OFF THE ACCUSATION IMPLIED BY HER TONE AND HER QUESTION. “I have a gift for you darling.” HE PULLS A STUNNING MIDNIGHT BLUE SAPPHIRE CHOKER OUT OF HIS COAT POCKET, IT’S MADE OF HEART-SHAPED SAPPHIRES WITH THE CENTER STONE BEING A VERY LARGE MIDNIGHT BLUE SAPPHIRE. JULIAN STEPS BEHIND HER AND PLACES THE CHOKER ON HER NECK AND CLOSES IT’S CLASP. HE THEN USES THE SAME DEVICE HE USED ON THE DOGS TO INSTANTLY SOLDER IT TOGETHER SO IT CANNOT BE REMOVED, THEN HE QUICKLY PUTS THE DEVICE BACK IN HIS POCKET. HE STEPS BACK IN FRONT OF HER SMILING LOVINGLY. MARIGOLD PICKS UP A LETTER OPENER FROM THE NEARBY TABLE AND TAPS ON THE CHOKER AS SHE ASKS: “I suppose this has some sort of tracking device in it?” “Yes, mi amore.” SHE GETS UP AND WALKS TO A MIRROR ON THE WALL AND ADMIRES IT. “Well, it’s beautiful.” “Yes, it’s perfect, you must wear my collar my love.” TURNING TO LOOK AT JULIAN SHE SAYS “You didn’t take Jack hostage.” “No mi amore… Do you want me to explain?” “No Julian there’s no point I wouldn’t believe anything you said, I don’t trust you because I don’t know your motive.” “Soon beloved… Soon you’ll understand and we’ll begin our happy life together.” HE GRABS HER HAND AND SMOTHERS IT IN KISSES. SHE’S NONPLUSSED. “And did you hurt Marc or Dr. Constanton?” “No mi amore they’ll be back soon.” “Are you taking me hostage again?” “No, darling you can stay here with your friends until your your birthday.” “Do you want me to tell them that you’re tracking us and, I imagine, monitoring our conversations with this?” SHE POINTS TO THE NECKLACE “No my love, it’s our secret.” HE STARTS MOVING TO THE FRONT DOOR, “I have to go now mi amore but if you need me I’ll always be here for you.” NONPLUSSED “Right… yeah… okey dokey.” “Farewell and in no time you will… HE TURNS AND RUSHES BACK TO HER SIDE AND SMOTHERS HER HAND IN KISSES AND SAYS “COME BACK BABY!” “Ah…Yeah, Toodles.”A FEW MOMENTS AFTER HE LEAVES WE SEE THE DOGS ENTER THE HOUSE. THEN WE SEE JULIAN’S YACHT SLOWLY MOVE AWAY FROM THE ISLAND.

CUT TO LATER THAT NIGHT WE SEE MARIGOLD SITING IN BED READING. ZOOM IN TO READ: “Angelique in the New World.” MARIGOLD USES A HIGHLIGHTER TO HIGHLIGHT A SECTION OF THE BOOK THEN WE ZOOM IN TO SEE THE HIGHLIGHTED WORDS AS MARIGOLD WHISPERS IN V.O.: “Never let the Devil beguile you – neither with his threats or promises. The price for your soul is eternal vigilance” THEN SHE DRIFTS OFF TO SLEEP.

~PART 3: ANGELIQUE’S ENCHANTMENT~

CUT TO THE NEXT MORNING MARIGOLD GOES INTO THE LIVING ROOM WHERE MARC AND DR. CONSTANTON ARE TALKING AND SHE INTERUPTS AND TELLS THEM “Julian was here last night while you were out.” “Why didn’t he take you?” “I don’t know, but he collared me with this.” SHE POINTS TO THE SAPPHIRE COLLAR ON HER NECK. “He came here to give you more jewels?” “Yes… No… I think it’s a tracking device and it may allow him to hear what I say.” MARC SITS DOWN AND DR. CONSTANTON STANDS UP AND STARTS PACING. “He told me not to tell you but I’ve decided I no longer do what he says.” MARIGOLD SITS NEXT TO MARC ON THE SOFA. MARC ASKS: “Did he say why he’s leaving you here or when he’s coming for you?” “He said he’d be back on my birthday.” DR. CONSTANTON: “Do you know of anything special that’s happening on that date?” “No.” MARC ASKS: “Why do you think he’s doing this?” “I don’t know, but if I had to guess I’d say he’s doing some kind of research.” “Research on what?” “On how to destroy a happy person like me.” “Why would he want to do that?” “If he can get someone like me, someone who’s happy and independent, to do what he wants then he can control anyone.” DR. CONSTANTON: “Maybe it has something to do with the work you and your husband have done.” “Yes, that’s occurred to me.” TO MARC: “I’ve been thinking about what I want to do and now that I know Jack’s not Julian’s hostage, I want to go talk to Jack.”

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY MARIGOLD’S TAKING CASH FROM A SHADEY CAR DEALER FOR THE VULKANO.

CUT TO JULIAN BUYING THE VULKANO FROM THE SHADY CAR DEALER.

CUT TO MARC AND MARIGOLD ON A PLANE.

CUT TO A WIDE-ANGEL VIEW OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SKYLINE FROM THE PLANE FOCUSING ON THE TRANSAMERICA PYRAMID BUILDING.

CUT TO MARC AND MARIGOLD ARRIVING AT THE TOP OF THE TRANSAMERICA PYRAMID BUILDING WHICH IS JACK’S NEW OFFICE. WHEN MARIGOLD WALKS INTO THE OFFICE JACK IS SHOCKED AND RUSHES TO HUG HER AND SAYS: “I thought you were dead.” “I thought you’d been kidnapped…that’s why I didn’t get in touch sooner.” JACK TAKES HER HAND AND LEADS HER UP SOME STAIRS AND SAYS “Let’s go to my sanctuary.” MARC TAKES A SEAT IN THE OFFICE AND WAITS.

CUT TO JACK AND MARIGOLD COMING BACK DOWN THE STAIRCASE AND JACK GOES TO MARC AND SHAKES HIS HAND AND SAYS: “Thank you for helping Marigold! You’re a decent man to involve yourself in this.” “Marigold’s a very special woman and…” MARIGOLD INTERUPTS: “Jack, this office is amazing, your work on the Science of Happiness must have taken off.” “It has.” “Tell Marc about our work.” [EXPLANATION OF THE HISTORY OF SECULAR ETHICAL CODES AND META-ETHICS. JACK SAYS IN THIS SPEECH THAT IF ONE CANNOT CONTROL ONE’S SELF THEY CANNOT BE HAPPY AND IF ONE DOES NOT CONTROL ONE’S SELF THEN OTHERS WILL CONTROL IT (SELF MAINTENANCE AS THE META-ETHICAL STANDARD). JACK TELLS MARIGOLD THAT HE’S TRYING TO DUPLICATE HER SELF AND TO WRITE A MANUAL FOR OTHERS TO USE TO BECOME LIKE HER. JACK SAYS THAT MARIGOLD HAS THE BEST SELF HE’S EVER ENCOUNTERED AND THAT HE’S TRYING TO CREATE A SYSTEM HELPING OTHERS TO BE LIKE HER, i.e., A GREAT SOULED MAN (AS ARISTOTLE CALLS IT)].

A WOMAN ENTERS THE ROOM AND SAYS AS THE DOOR IS OPENING “Darling, here’s that journal article you wanted… oh, I’m sorry.” JACK SAYS: “DeeBee, this is my wife Marigold and her friend Marc.” “Oh!” “Marigold was kidnapped and her kidnappers made her believe that they’d kidnapped me so when she escaped she didn’t try to find me.” JACK TURNS TO MARIGOLD “This is my girlfriend DeeBee.” MARIGOLD TO JACK: “I understand, you thought I was dead.”

CUT TO MARC AND MARIGOLD ON A PLANE LANDING IN ROME. MARIGOLD SAYS TO MARC: “I think Dr. Armine can help me. I met him at a lecture at Stanford and read several of his books. He’s an expert on the history of the Catholic Church, he’s a Catholic priest but now an atheist.” “Why doesn’t he stop being a Catholic priest if he’s an atheist?” “Because in Canon Law there’s no procedure to stop being a Catholic priest, all one can do is stop performing the rites. I emailed him from Jack’s office and asked if we could meet.”

CUT TO LATER THAT NIGHT IN AN UPSCALE ITALIAN RESTAURANT MARIGOLD AND MARC ARE EATING AND MARC SAYS: “I’ll be back. HE STANDS UP AND ASKS THE WAITER TO DIRECT HIM TO THE RESTROOM. WHEN MARC IS GONE, A TALL, MUSCULAR, HANDSOME ITALIAN MAN WEARING AN ARMANI SUIT, COMES TO THE TABLE AND ASKS MARIGOLD: “May I?” MARIGOLD GESTURES HER APPROVAL FOR HIM TO SIT. HE SAYS “I understand you’re looking for a man.” MARIGOLD’S SURPRISED BUT SAYS “Well… yes I am.” “And who is this man you seek?” “Why don’t you tell me.” “He’s about 5 foot 10, fit, long silver hair and well dressed.” “That describes a lot of men.” THE MAN POINTS TO A TV IN THE STORE WINDOW ACROSS THE STREET WHERE DR. ARMINE’S PHOTO IS ON THE SCREEN. MARIGOLD TURNS AND SEES THAT IT’S THE MAN SHE CAME TO SEE. “What is it you seek from this man?” RECOMPOSING HERSELF: “He’s an expert in a field I’m interested in. I’ve read several of his books and want him to advise me.” “Advise you about what?” “About how to proceed. Why do you want to know and how did you know his photo would be on that TV screen?” STANDING UP TO GO: “I’m able to do many things for which you’ll have no explanation, but please don’t be disturbed by this.” “I’ve heard that line before.” HE REACHES INTO HIS POCKET AND PULLS OUT A CARD AND HANDS IT TO HER AND SAYS. “I’m Lorenzo Vite and it’s been a pleasure talking to you. If you need any assistance while you’re in Roma please call me, I’m at your disposal.” HE VERY RESPECTFULLY GESTURES GOODBYE AND WALKS AWAY. MARIGOLD WATCHES AS HE FRANTICALLY TEXTS SOMEONE AS IF HIS LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. MARC RETURNS AND WHEN HE’S SEATED MARIGOLD SAYS: “Did you see that man sitting here? “Yes, what did he want?” “I don’t know yet.”

CUT TO MARC AND MARIGOLD IN A CAB ARRIVING AT DR. ARMINE’S APARTMENT. THEY DON’T REALIZE THEY’VE BEEN FOLLOWED BY A BLACK SUV. MARIGOLD AND MARC GO INTO DR. ARMINE’S LIVING ROOM AND ARE SEEN FROM THE STREET BY THE PERSON IN THE SUV.

CUT TO INSIDE DR. ARMINE’S APARTMENT, HE GIVES MARC A GLASS OF WINE AND SAYS TO MARIGOLD: “Everyone in Europe knows about Julian, he’s the wealthiest man in the world and a notorious playboy. Why are you interested in him Marigold?” “He’s chosen to involve himself in my life and I’m trying to figure out why.” “Many woman would love for him to involve himself in their life, yet you seem to think it a burden – why?” “You’re right, so far it’s been a burden, but I can’t go into that right now. Can you tell me more about him?” “What do you want to know?” “What business is he in?” “Every business, if you can think of it he’s in it.” “Has he ever been married?” “No.” “Is he in the mafia?” “He IS the mafia.” “Does he have any family?” “He’s the heir apparent of one of the biggest and oldest family in Europe.” “Is he gay?” “I don’t know, but I imagine, like most of the family scions before him, he’s bi-sexual.” “Does he have a pet?” “If you mean a dog on a leash then no, he prefers humans on leashes.” “Does he wear boxers or briefs” DR. ARMINE LAUGHS GENTLY. MARIGOLD INTERRUPTS AND SAYS: “It’s just that you seem to know so much about him – as if you work for him…” DR. ARMINE SOBERS UP AND SAYS: “No my dear, I don’t work for him but I’m a historian and researcher and given that I cannot help having come across him and his family as they’re influential and notorious.” “Alright, I have only one more question, does he have an arch-enemy?” “Why yes, his greatest enemy is…” AT THAT MOMENT THE DOORBELL RINGS. “Excuse me.” DR. ARMINE WALKS TO THE FRONT DOOR AND IS GIVEN A WRITTEN MESSAGE BY A MAN IN BLACK CLOTHING. HE READS IT AND WALKS BACK INTO HIS LIVING ROOM AND SAYS: “I’m afraid I must go. It’s been delightful seeing you again and nice meeting you Marc. Please don’t hesitate to contact me again if you have more questions.” MARC AND MARIGOLD GET UP AND HEAD TO THE FRONT DOOR. “Good night Dr. Armine, we’re staying at the St. Regis if you want to get in touch. I appreciate your time.” THEY LEAVE. DR. ARMINE RUSHES TO HIS PHONE AS IF HIS LIFE HAS BEEN THREATENED. HE PICKS UP THE RECEIVER, DIALS, THEN IN A MOMENT SAYS “I’m sorry…I didn’t know…anything you want… she told me she’s staying at the St. Regis… Yes tomorrow… Thank you… Count on me.” HE HANGS UP THE PHONE.

CUT TO MARC AND MARIGOLD WALKING DOWN THE STREET OUTSIDE OF DR. ARMINE’S APARTMENT WITH MARIGOLD DEEP IN THOUGHT. MARC ASKS: “Something bothering you?” “You know I spent most of my life working with Jack to come up with a secular ethical code to lead people to a happiness and our life together was very combative as we had different views on how to create this code. We forged a path to it by constant debate and battle and now I’m exhausted and while hedonism’s no way to be happiness, I’m now tempted to switch tracks and become rather hedonistic.” “Why?” “I think that both battling Jack and now Julian has worn me out.” “What would you consider a rest?” “I want to have fun now because it may be the last time I’m able to.” “Then why are we here chasing down who Julian is if what you want is to have fun or rest?” “That’s a good question. I’m torn, I’m curious, part of me needs to know what Julian’s game is – but researching Julian could be dangerous. If I continue I think you should leave and get back to your life and career. You know I love you being here and want you to stay but I doubt it’s the wisest course for you.” STOPPING AND LOOKING IN HER EYES: “I wouldn’t think of leaving you! MARIGOLD PUTS HER ARM AROUND HIS SHOULDER AND THEY WALK DOWN THE STREET.

CUT TO THE LOBBY OF THE ST. REGIS HOTEL THE NEXT MORNING. MARC IS SITTING IN THE LOBBY READING A NEWSPAPER WITH A PHOTO OF JULIAN AND JULIAN’S NAME IN THE HEADLINE. DR. ARMINE WALKS INTO THE LOBBY, GOES UP TO HIM AND ASKS: “Ah, I see you’ve seen the healdline.” “He’s just bought the biggest media company in Europe.” “Where’s Marigold?” “She’s still dressing – why?” “I’m inviting you both to tour Rome with me. I’m an expert in Roman history and art and would love to show you both the sights.” MARIGOLD WALKS UP TO THEM AND DR. ARMINE SAYS “I was just telling Marc I want to take you both on a tour.” “We don’t have plans and would love you to give us a tour – that’s very kind.” SHE LOOKS AT MARC AND HE GESTURES AGREEMENT. “Shall we go?” MARC AND MARIGOLD GESTURE AGREEMENT AND THEY EXIT TO THE STREET.

CUT TO THE THREE OF THEM AT THE VATICAN IN THE BORGIA APARTMENTS. WE CAN HEAR DR. ARMINE SPEAKING BUT CANNOT MAKE OUT WHAT HE SAYS. THEY COME TO THE FRESCO WITH LUCREZIA BORGIA AND DR. ARMINE SAYS: “Marigold, it’s amazing how much you look like Lucrezia! HE TOUCHES THE SIDE OF HER FACE AND SAYS: “Especially here on the side of your face, your nose and chin – remarkable!” MARIGOLD LOOKS AT MARC WHO GESTURES AGREEMENT. “Este is your last name and Lucrezia married a man named Este — Alfonso D’Este.” “I’ve heard a lot of bizarre things about Lucrezia…” “She was the most intelligent and beautiful woman of her day and many men were hopelessly in love with her – including her own brother Caesar who was obsessed with possessing her; perhaps more than he was obsessed with unifying and possess the Papal states.”

CUT TO DR. ARMINE TALKING TO A CARDINAL WHILE MARIGOLD AND MARC WAIT FOR HIM AT A DISTANCE. SHE SAYS: “Marc, I never told Dr. Armine that Este’s my last name.” “Then how does he know?” SHE GESTURES SHE DOES NOT KNOW.

CUT TO THE THREE OF THEM WAKING THROUGH OTHER PARTS OF THE VATICAN AND WE CAN VAGUELY HEAR DR. ARMINE EXPLAINING THE ARTWORK’S HISTORY AND CONTEXT.

CUT TO A PRIVATE ROOM IN A HIGH-CLASS RESTAURANT AT NIGHT. MARC, MARIGOLD AND DR. ARMINE ARE EATING AND TALKING. DR. ARMINE EXPLAINS: “Yes, I know much about the Jesuits, I trained to be one.” MARIGOLD ASKS: “You’re a Jesuit?” “No. I chose not to enter the Jesuit order. I’m Lebanese and was a member of the Maronite Church which allows married priests and I’d fallen in love and wanted to marry.” “Is this group affiliated with the Roman Church?” “Yes.” “And it allows married priests?” “Yes.” “I’ve never heard of married priests in the Catholic Church.” “It wasn’t until 1085 when the Pope decreed that no priest could any longer be married, but before this date many were married. I have a Ph.D in Canon and Civil law and wrote my dissertation arguing that the church needs to again allow married priests.” MARC: “Why did they ban marriage for priests?” “I think it was a practical matter of not wanting any Church property to be bequeathed, however, the prevalent Gnostic pessimism about the entire material world, and especially about all forms of pleasure, and particularly sexual pleasure, was thought of as a manifestation of demons.” MARC IS ENGAGED BUT MARIGOLD’S DISTRACTED BY HER OWN THOUGHTS.

CUT TO LATER THAT NIGHT MARIGOLD AND MARC IN A NIGHT CLUB. A COMEDIAN’S TAKING THE STAGE. WE SEE LORENZO VITE SITTING AT THE BACK OF THE CLUB AND HE GESTURES A GREETING TO MARIGOLD. MARC SEES HIM AND ASKS: “Isn’t that the guy you were talked to last night?” “Yes. I think he works for Julian.” AN ANNOUNCER STEPS ON STAGE AND INTRODUCES THE COMEDIAN WHO’S DRESSED LIKE JESUS (HE MAKES FUN OF THOSE EXPECTING AN APOCALYPSE). A WAITER ARRIVES WITH A BOTTLE OF EXPENSIVE CHAMPAGNE AND TELLS MARIGOLD “It’sa froma de gooolookin mana in Armani ina de corner.” “Thank him for me.” THE WAITER OPENS IT AND GIVES THEM EACH A GLASS. MARIGOLD RAISES HER GLASS AND SALUTES LORENZO WHO IS CAREFULLY WATCHING HER AND HE NODS. MARC FINDS THE COMEDIAN FUNNY BUT MARIGOLD’S UNINTERESTED AND IN HER BOREDOM SHE LOOKS OVER AT LORENZO AGAIN AND NOTICES HIM MOTION FOR HER TO COME OVER TO HIM. MARIGOLD STANDS UP AND TELLS MARC: “I’ll be back in a minute.” MARC ACKNOWLEDGES HER AND QUICKLY GOES BACK TO WATCHING THE SHOW. MARIGOLD MAKES HER WAY THROUGH THE CLUB TO WHERE SHE LAST SAW LORENZO, BUT WHEN SHE GETS TO WHERE HE WAS SEATED HE’S GONE. SHE LOOKS AROUND AND SEES HIM BY AN OFFICE DOOR, AGAIN MOTIONING FOR HER TO JOIN HIM, AND SHE FOLLOWS. SHE SEES HIM GO INTO THE OFFICE AND WHEN SHE GETS TO THE OFFICE DOOR SHE KNOCKS AND HE GENTLY COMMANDS: “Come in Marigold.” SHE DOES. THE OFFICE IS MASCULINE WITH TOUCHES OF OSTENTATIOUS DISPLAY AND MARIGOLD WALKS OVER TO A COPPER SCULPTURE OF A NUDE ATLAS IN THE CORNER OF THE OFFICE AND GENTLY TOUCHES IT. LORENZO FOLLOWS HER AND SAYS: “This piece is modeled on my body.” “It’s gorgeous really… I’ve never seen such… a…” HE GENTLY TURNS HER FACE TO HIS AND KISSES HER MOUTH. SHE DOESN’T RESPOND. HE KEEPS TRYING TO GET HER TO ENGAGE BUT SHE’S FROZEN. FINALLY HE SAYS TO HER IN A MUCH DEEPER VOICE, NOT LIKE HIS NORMAL VOICE: “Come back baby.” THIS BREAKS HER PARALYSIS AND SHE STEPS BACK FROM HIM. HE MOVES TOWARD HER AND AGAIN SAYS IN A STRANGE DEEP VOICE “Come back baby.” SHE PULLS AWAY AND MOVES TOWARD HIS DESK AND HE FOLLOWS HER. SHE’S BLOCKED BY THE DESK AND HAS NOWHERE ELSE TO GO SO SHE TURNS TO HIM AND HE GRABS HER BY THE THROAT WITH HIS ENORMOUS HANDS BUT WITHOUT SQUEEZING. SHE CALMLY ASKES “What are we doing?” HE AGAIN SAYS “COME BACK BABY!” NOW SHE RECALLS HAVING HEARD THIS PHRASE BEFORE.

FLASHBACK TO WHEN SHE WAS RUNNING FROM THE SUV AND JULIAN SAID “COME BACK BABY!;” THEN FLASHBACK TO JULIAN AS HE’S SMOTHERING HER HAND WITH KISSES AND HE SAYS: “COME BACK BABY!”

BACK TO PRESENT AND SHE SAYS: “I’ve heard that phrase before.” “Where and when darling?” “In Paris and at Dr. Constantin’s home in Menorca.” “And who said it Mi Amore?” “Julian said it as I was running away, and again after he attached this collar to me.” LORENZO TOUCHES THE SAPPHIRE COLLAR ON HER NECK. “It’s lovely darling. And how does it feel wearing my collar?” “Your collar!?” NOW THE VOICE OF JULIAN IS CLEARLY HEARD COMING THROUGH THE COLLAR “Yes Mi Amore my collar.” MARIGOLD IS STUNNED. SHE LOOKS AT LORENZO AND HE APPEARS ZOMBIE-LIKE AND CONTROLLED. NOW AFRAID FOR HER SAFETY, SHE INSTINCTIVELY BREAKS THE GRIP THAT HE HOLDS ON HER NECK BY SLAMMING HER ARMS INTO THE CROOK OF HIS ELBOWS. IN HIS ZOMBIE-LIKE STATE HE EASILY LETS GO AND SHE RUNS OUT OF THE OFFICE AND BACK TO MARC. THE SHOW JUST ENDED AND SHE SAYS: “We need to go!” HE GESTURES HIS AGREEMENT AND THEY LEAVE THE CLUB.

CUT TO THE ROME AIRPORT THE NEXT MORNING AS MARIGOLD AND MARC SIT WAITING FOR A PLANE AND MARC ASKS: “Have you ever been to Pebble Beach before?” “Yes have you?” “No.” “I lived in Carmel for a summer and would drive to the Pebble Beach Lodge and sit on their private beach where I was always alone – sometimes I’d go to the equestrian center and ride horses.” “Why are you giving up on figuring out Julian’s game?” “I’ve decided it doesn’t matter and I need to get busy enjoying whatever time I have left. IN V.O. WE HEAR THE CALL FOR THEIR FLIGHT NUMBER AND THEY GET UP AND HEAD TO THE GATE.

CUT TO MARIGOLD AND MARC INSIDE A CABANA AT THE LODGE AT PEBBLE BEACH.

CUT TO MARIGOLD AND MARC ALONE AND READING ON THE BEACH AT THE PEBBLE BEACH LODGE UNDER AN UMBRELLA.

CUT TO MARC AND MARIGOLD WALKING DOWN OCEAN AVE. IN CARMEL. WE SEE LOTS OF PEOPLE WALKING STANDARD POODLES. MARC ASKS: “Wow, they really like poodles in Carmel?” MARIGOLD SMILES AND SAYS: “There’s a dog show tomorrow.” THEY WALK ON AND MARIGOLD SEES THE ACTOR ANDY GARCIA IN FRONT OF HER AND SHE WALKS UP CLOSE TO HIS EAR AND SAYS “Loved you in The Godfather.” “Oh, thank you sweetheart!”

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY MARC AND MARIGOLD ODERING AT A RESTAURANT AND THE HANDSOME SPANISH WAITER, WITH LONG JET-BLACK HAIR IS FLIRTING WITH MARIGOLD. “And I’ll have the abalone.” “Excellent choice it’s our most popular.” THE 30 YEAR OLD WAITER GIVES HER A BIG SMILE AND STARES INTO HER EYES FOR A LONG TIME ACTING AS IF MARC ISN’T THERE. “Oh, umm…. I’ll put your order in…” HE WALKS AWAY AND MARC SAYS: “It seems you have a fan.” “He’s a child, way to young for me.” “He doesn’t seem to think so.” “He’s just being a good waiter.” “No, I think it’s more.” “Don’t be silly. Anyway, I’d like you to do some research online to try to find out who Julian’s arch-enemy is. Dr. Armine said that he has one so it shouldn’t be too hard to find out who he is.” THE WAITER RETURNS WITH SOME BREAD AND ASKS AFTER SETTING IT DOWN “Can I get you some wine we have an excellent merlot I recommend.” MARIGOLD SAYS: “Yes, please we’ll have two glasses.” THE WAITER LEAVES AND MARC SAYS “I’ll be back in a minute, I’m going to the magazine stand across the street.” MARC LEAVES. THE WAITER COMES BACK AND SETS THE GLASSES OF WINE DOWN AND THEN SITS IN MARC’S CHAIR AND TAKES MARIGOLD’S HAND AND ASKS “How long will you be in town?” “Ahh… The whole summer at least… aren’t you going to get in trouble sitting down…” “No, I own this place but don’t usually work here, someone called in sick. What’s your name?” “Marigold – and yours?” “Nathan. Are you going to the car show tomorrow?” “I wasn’t planning to.” “Why don’t you come with me – be here tomorrow at noon and we’ll go together.” “Okay.” MARC IS IN THE DISTANCE WALKING BACK TO THE TABLE AND SEES NATHAN GET UP AND GO TO THE KITCHEN. MARC SITS DOWN AND SAYS: “I told you so.” MARIGOLD SMILES.

CUT TO NOON THE NEXT DAY MARIGOLD AND NATHAN IN A MONTAGE OF SHOTS OF THEM AT THE PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ ELEGANCE HAVING A GREAT TIME TOGETHER.

CUT TO AN AUCTION WHERE A VINTAGE MASERATI IS UP FOR SALE AND NATHAN’S DETERMINED TO BE THE WINNING BIDDER. HE TELLS HER “I’ve been waiting for this car to come on the market for five years.” NO OTHER BIDDERS ARE NOW VYING FOR THE CAR AS THE PRICE HAS HIT ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. NATHAN FEELS THRILLED WHEN IT SEEMS THAT HE’S WON BUT THE AUCTIONEER SAYS “I’m told we’ve just received a phone bid for one million.” NATHAN’S CRUSHED AND WHEN THE AUCTIONEER GESTURES TO HIM TO SEE IF HE WANTS TO KEEP BIDDING HE SHAKES HIS HEAD ‘NO.’

CUT TO A SHOT OF JULIAN ON THE PHONE BUYING THE MASERATI.

CUT TO A MONTAGE OF SCENES OF MARIGOLD AND NATHAN HAVING FUN AT VARIOUS VENUES HOLDING HANDS AND CARESSING EACH OTHER.

CUT TO NATHAN PAYING A REAL ESTATE AGENT CASH AND GETTING THE KEYS TO AN A-FRAME GLASS HOME ON A CLIFF IN BIG SUR. “If you need it more than a night…” “No, this should be enough, it’s her birthday tomorrow. WALKING TOWARDS THE HOUSE “Thanks.” NATHAN UNLOCKS THE FRONT DOOR, WALKS IN AND WE SEE A GLORIOUS VIEW OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. NATHAN SMILES.

CUT TO THE NEXT DAY AT SUNSET, NATHAN AND MARIGOLD SIT TOGETHER AT THE DINNING TABLE IN THE MAIN ROOM OF THE BIG SUR HOME EATING AND WATCHING THE SUN GO DOWN. THEY’RE ALONE AND NATHAN GETS UP AND TURNS ON SOME MUSIC AND THEN TAKES HER HAND AND LEADS HER TO DANCE IN FRONT OF THE LARGE GLASS WINDOW AT SUNSET. NATHAN STOPS BEFORE THE SONG ENDS AND PULLS HER HEAD BACK GENTLY AND KISSES THE NAPE OF HER NECK.

CUT TO INSIDE THE GLASS HOUSE NATHAN SAYS “It’s time to blow out your candles.” EXCITEDLY MARIGOLD RUSHES TO THE DINNIG TABLE WHERE THERE’S A BIRTHDAY CAKE. NATHAN LIGHTS THE CANDLES AND MARIGOLD BLOWS THEM OUT. “What’d you wish for?” “I wished Julian would never come for me.” “Who’s Julian?” AT THAT MOMENT WE HEAR THE FRONT DOOR OPEN AND JULIAN SAY: “Mi Amore, I’m here… It’s time to go.” MARIGOLD SUDDENLY BECOMES FRIGHTENED AND CROWCHES DOWN AND ATTACHES HERSELF TO NATHAN’S RIGHT LEG. JULIAN AND HIS SUPER MUSCULAR HENCHMAN WALK INTO THE MAIN ROOM TO FIND MARIGOLD ATTACHED TO NATHAN’S LEG AND JULIAN SAYS: “I see you’re very attached to your friend baby.” “Mmm hmmm…” JULIAN EXTENDS ONE FINGER AND GESTURES IN A CIRCULAR MOTION TO THE STRONGMAN TO PULL MARIGOLD OFF OF NATHAN’S LEG. HE TRIES BUT CANNOT SEPARATE THEM. HE LOOKS BACK TO JULIAN FOR DIRECTION. JULIAN HOLDS OUT TWO FINGERS WAVES HIS HAND IN A CIRCULAR MOTION AND HIS MINION LIFTS BOTH MARIGOLD AND NATHAN AND CARRIES THEM TO THE LIMO WITH JULIAN LEADING THE WAY.

CUT TO INSIDE THE LIMO WHERE NATHAN’S UNCONSCIOUS AND MARIGOLD SAYS TO JULIAN: “What’d you do to Nathan?” JULIAN TAKES MARIGOLD’S HAND, KISSES IT AND SAYS “He’s fine baby.” HE CONTINUES KISSING HER HAND (IN A MANNER THAT SHOWS HE ENJOYS IT NO MATTER HOW SHE FEELS ABOUT IT) AND HE SAYS “I told you I’d come for you baby…now…” HE LOOKS INTO HER EYES AND SAYS: “COME BACK BABY!” ZOOM INTO MARIGOLD’S FACE AS SHE PASSES OUT.

CUT TO WIDE ANGLE SHOT OF THE LIMO SNAKING ALONG THE COAST LINE AT NIGHT.

CUT TO THE LIMO WAITING FOR A GATE TO OPEN. MARIGOLD’S NOW RECOVERED.

CUT TO A CLOSE-UP OF THE GATE WHERE WE READ THE WORDS “Top of the World.”

CUT TO JULIAN AND MARIGOLD STANDING ON THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN OVERLOOKING THE PACIFIC OCEAN IN FRONT OF A GORGEOUS MAUSOLEUM WITH THE STATUE OF A FEMALE ANGEL. THE LIMO’S BEHIND THEM. THE ANGEL STATUE HAS A SCULPTED COLLAR THAT LOOKS LIKE MARIGOLD’S COLLAR. JULIAN TAKES MARIGOLD’S HAND AND DRAWS HER NEARER TO THE ANGEL AND SAYS: “Darling, I want you to meet my mother.” MARIGOLD LOOKS AT THE FACE OF THE STATUE AND THEN BACK TO JULIAN WHO IS BEAMING WITH JOY. MARIGOLD SAYS: “She’s beautiful. But why does she look so much like me and why is she wearing a collar just like mine?” “Actually, you’re wearing a collar just like hers.” SUDDENLY THE TOMBSTONE OPENS TO REVEAL A STAIRCASE GOING DOWN INTO THE GROUND. A WOMEN, WHO LOOKS JUST LIKE THE ANGEL AND MARIGOLD, WEARING A MIDNIGHT BLUE SILK GOWN AND THE EXACT SAME COLLAR AS MARIGOLD’S, CLIMBS UP THE STAIRS. WHEN SHE GETS TO GROUND LEVEL SHE STEPS OUT AND FACES MARIGOLD AND SAYS: “I’m so pleased to meet you my dear, Julian’s told me so much about you.” “I… I’m pleased to…a… meet… aah…” THE WOMAN GIVES JULIAN A HAND SIGNAL AND JULIAN TAKES MARIGOLD AND LEADS HER AWAY WHILE SAYING: “Darling, you’ve been through a lot tonight, please wait in the car. I’ll join you soon.” MARIGOLD’S DAZED AND ACQUIESCES. SHE GETS BACK INTO THE LIMO AND JULIAN GESTURES FOR THE DRIVER AND THE HULK TO COME WITH HIM. WHEN THEY GET TO THE MAUSALEUM THERE ARE NOW NINE OTHER MEN (IN BLACK ROBES) KNEELING DOWN IN FRONT OF THE WOMAN. JULIAN, THE HULK AND THE DRIVER ALSO KNEEL DOWN WITH THE OTHER MEN AS IF THEY’RE WORSHIPPING THE WOMAN. MARIGOLD TURNS NATHAN’S HEAD AROUND TO LOOK AT THIS SCENE AND HE SAYS “What in the…” NATHAN AND MARIGOLD STARE AT THE SCENE AND BOTH ARE STARTING TO GET FREAKED OUT. NATHAN ASKS: “What were you doing with that woman?” “Julian introduced me to his “mother” who looks just like me and she’s wearing a collar just like this one.” SHE TOUCHES THE COLLAR ON HER NECK. THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER LIKE IT’S ALL TOTALLY BIZARRE THEN NATHAN ASKS “Who is Julian to you?” “He’s been mostly an anonymous and distant admirer.” “What does he want with you?” “I wish I knew.” NOW WE HEAR IN V.O. THE MEN START CHANTING.

CUT TO AN ALTER THAT HAS ASCENDED FROM THE GROUND AND THE WOMAN IS NOW LYING ON IT BARELY CLOTHED IN MIDNIGHT BLUE SILK AND THE MEN START TO WALK IN A CIRCLE AROUND HER TOUCHING HER BODY WHILE CHANTING. UPON SEEING THIS MARIGOLD SAYS “This is insane I’m getting out of her!” MARIGOLD TRIES TO OPEN THE CAR DOOR BUT IT’S LOCKED, SO SHE GETS INTO THE DRIVERS SEAT AND IS ABLE TO ROLL DOWN THE BACK WINDOW. THEN SHE CLIMBS BACK INTO THE BACK AND THEN CLIMBS OUT THE WINDOW. NATHAN FOLLOWS HER. THEY SNEAK OFF DOWN THE DRIVEWAY. THEY MAKE IT BACK TO THE GATE THAT READS “Top of the World” AND MARIGOLD FINDS A TREE TO CLIMB TO GET ON TOP OF THE GATE AND THEN OVER THE WALL. ONCE OVER THEY RUN DOWN THE MOUNTAIN/STREET TO HIGHWAY 1.

CUT TO THE WOMAN BEING WORSHIPPED. AS JULIAN WALKS BY HER HAND SHE GRABS JULIAN’S HAND, SITS UP AND SAYS “Marigold’s escaped and is heading to the freeway.” JULIAN BREAKS FREE OF HER AND STARTS RUNNING TO THE LIMO BUT SHE YELLS AFTER HIM “Come back. She needs her autonomy if she’s to go through the trials. Be patient and she’ll be yours. Trust me! Come back to me now and continue.” JULIAN’S TORN AS HE WANTS TO GO AFTER MARIGOLD BUT REALIZES THAT THE WOMAN’S RIGHT AND SO HE RETURNS TO THE RITUAL AFTER HE PUSHES A BUTTON ON THE DEVICE WE’VE SEEN BEFORE. HE THEN WALKS STRAIGHT UP TO THE WOMAN AND TAKES HER HAND AND STROKES IT AND KISSES IT, THEN HE LEANS DOWN AND KISSES HER ON THE MOUTH IN A SENSUAL MANNER WHILE TOUCHING HER BREAST. WE SEE THE OTHER MEN BACK AWAY A BIT AND FORM A CIRCLE AROUND THE WOMAN AND JULIAN. NOW PAN FROM A SHADOWY FIGURE OF JULIAN ON TOP OF THE WOMAN TO BELOW THIS SCENE ON THE FREEWAY WHERE MARIGOLD AND NATHAN HITCH-HIKE ON HIGHWAY 1 – HOLD BOTH SCENES IN FRAME.

CUT TO NEXT DAY MARIGOLD BEING DROPPED OFF BACK AT HER BUNGALOW BY LUIS MARTIN IN HIS BRIGHT YELLOW FERRARI.

CUT TO MARIGOLD UNLOCKING THE DOOR TO THE BUNGALOW. MARC’S IN THE LIVING ROOM AND SAYS “How’d your birthday go with Nathan?” MARIGOLD WALKS TO THE SOFA AND COLLAPSES AND SAYS “Where to begin? Did you come up with anything on Julian’s enemy?” “No. I’m still looking.” “Good. I’m going to Luis Martin’s house tonight. He picked me and Nathan up last night when we were hitchhiking. He lives just past Yankee Point in an amazing home with an amazing library. He’s coming back to get me for dinner, then he’s going to teach me about the Occult.” “Why were you and Nathan hitch-hiking?” “Julian kidnapped us then we escaped. Luis is the man who picked us up. He’s brilliant, calm, debonaire (WALKING AROUND THE ROOM), I quite like him. Are you alright here by yourself – not getting too bored or lonely?” “I’m fine. I have a new friend I’ve been playing pool with in Monterey and tonight I think I’ll finally beat him.”

CUT TO DEL A. ROVERY AND MARC PLAYING POOL AND MARC’S WINNING.

CUT TO AN ELEGANT HOME ON TOP OF A HILL WHERE JULIAN AND MAURICE ARGUE: “What were you thinking?” “I was thinking I needed to get her before she slept with that kid Nathan.” “But you freaked her out and she ran away!” “I’m not perfect!” “Clearly not.” “I thought the blinder was up on the limo so she couldn’t see us.” “You and Norbit.” NOW LUIS MARTIN COMES INTO THE SCENE AND SAYS INTERUPTING: “Gentlemen please, no real harm’s been done. She’s back at the bungalow and we’ll see her tonight. What she needs is a crash course in our customs…rituals… history if she’s to be able to understand what we want from her.” “True, but it’s all too much we can’t spring it all on her or she’ll try to run away again.” “It’ll be too much for her. She’s too pure and innocent to understand.” MARTIN: “I should tutor her.” “But how? Under what pretext?” “This morning I found her in my library looking at the Occult section and offered to teach her about it.”

FLASHBACK TO EARLIER THIS MORNING, MARIGOLD AWOKE AT MARTIN’S HOME. SHE GOT UP AND WENT INTO MARTIN’S LIBRARY AND STARTED READING THROUGH A SECTION ON THE OCCULT. MARTIN WALKS INTO THE LIBRARY AND SAYS: “Do you know much about the occult?” “No, but I’ve always thought I should study it. How about you Luis?” “Yes, I’m quite studied on the subject. I’d be happy to give you some coaching on it if you’re interested.” “That’s a generous offer and I’d appreciate it.”

CUT TO A VIDEO CONFERENCE ROOM WITH A LARGE SCREEN DISPLAYING MARTIN’S LIBRARY WHERE HE’S TEACHING MARIGOLD. IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM ARE ELEVEN MEN WATCHING AS MARTIN GIVES MARIGOLD A POWER-POINT PRESENTATION ON THE OCCULT.

CUT TO MARC AND ROVERY EATING AT AN ELEGANT RESTAURANT TOGETHER AND MARC’S WEARING NEW, FINE CLOTHING.

CUT TO A SERIES OF SHOTS OF THESE MEN WATCHING MARIGOLD AND MARTIN FOR A NUMBER OF DAYS AS HE’S TEACHING HER ABOUT THE OCCULT WITH DIAGRAMS, CHARTS, MAPS, PHOTOS, ICONS AND SYMBOLS.

CUT TO MARIGOLD WEARING AN OCCULTIC OUTFIT AND CROWN GIVING A LECTURE TO MARTIN ON THE OCCULT. SHE DOESN’T REALIZE THAT THE MEN IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM ARE WATCHING AND HEARING HER LECTURE. SHE DOES A GOOD JOB OF SUMMARIZING HER LESSONS. THE INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC WE HEAR DURING THIS IS “The Rain In Spain.” WHEN MARIGOLD’S FINISHED WITH HER LECTURE MARTIN JUMPS UP AND HUGS HER AND THEY DANCE AROUND THE ROOM TOGETHER. PULL BACK TO SEE THE MEN IN THE ROOM ARE ELATED AND ARE DANCING WITH EACH OTHER IN THE SAME MANNER THAT MARTIN AND MARIGOLD ARE DANCING.

CUT TO A SERIES OF SHOTS OF MARC AND ROVERY AT THE CONCOURSE D’ ELEGANCE.

CUT TO JAY LENO AS THE MC AT THE CONCOURSE MAKING MARC AND ROVERY LAUGH.

CUT TO AN AUCTION WHERE ROVERY BIDS 5 MILLION FOR AN ANTIQUE LAMBOGHINI AND THEN STANDS UP TO LEAVE THE AUCTION WITH MARC AND SAYS: “So, how long has this Julian been bothering your friend Marigold?” “I think he kidnapped her in Paris almost 5 months ago.” “What does Marigold think is his motive?” “She thinks he’s doing some research to try to discover how to make a happy person like her unhappy.” “Why would Julian want to know that?” “So he can control and manipulate anyone who’s happy.” “I see.”

CUT TO ROVERY IN THE BATHROOM OF MARIGOLD’S/MARC’S BUNGALOW WITH A DIVICE IN HIS HAND THAT’S SIMILAR TO THE ONE JULIAN USES. HE PUSHES A BUTTON AS SOON AS HE HEARS MARIGOLD COME INTO THE BUNGALOW.

CUT TO A CLOSE-UP OF A LIGHT ON MARIGOLD’S COLLAR TURNING FROM GREEN TO RED. PAN TO ROVERY WALKING INTO THE LIVING ROOM. MARC SAYS: “Marigold, this is my friend Del Rovery. Del this is Marigold Este.” THEY GESTURE GREETINGS AND MARC EXPLAINS “We met about a week ago when I was at the lodge and we started talking about the Concourse.” “In fact, we’re just about to visit my friend Binky at the Crocker Castle to see the Bugatti he’s entering in the show. Would you like to join us Ms. Este?” “Yes, I’d like that.” “Splendid.” MARIGOLD GESTURES HER AGREEMENT AND THEY LEAVE.

CUT TO MARC, MARIGOLD, ROVERY, AND BINKY AT THE CROCKER CASTLE AT PEBBLE BEACH LOOKING AT AN ANTIQUE BUGATTI. THEY ALL WALK INTO A ROOM THAT OVERLOOKS THE OCEAN AND ARE SERVED DRINKS. MARIGOLD DRINKS AND SITS ON A SOFA, THEN ROVERY COMES AND SITS NEXT TO HER AND TAKES HER HAND AND STROKES IT IN A FLIRTATIOUS MANNER. SHE STARTS TO OBJECT BUT THE DRUG IN THE DRINK KICKS IN AND SHE SLIDES INTO A STATE OF EUPHORIA AND SAYS “That feels delightful Del.” MARC HAS ALREADY FINISHED HIS DRINK AND PASSED OUT. BINKY COMES AND SITS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MARIGOLD AND STARTS TROKING HER OTHER HAND AND SHE PURS LIKE A KITTEN. ROVERY PULLS OUT OF HIS POCKET THE SAME DEVICE HE USED IN THE BATHROOM AT THE BUNGALOW. HE STANDS UP AND WALKS BEHIND MARIGOLD AND USES THE DEVICE TO TAKE THE SAPPIRE COLLAR OFF HER, THEN HE MASSAGES HER NECK AND SAYS “Isn’t that better?” “You have no idea how painful that thing is.” BINKY STARTS RUBBING THE FRONT OF MARIGOLD’S NECK GENTLY. ROVERY SAYS IN A CALM BUT SINISTER VOICE: “Julian always was a bit heavy-handed in his use of force.” “You know Julian?” “Yes, we go way back. I understand you’ve been looking for me.” SLURING HER WORDS SLIGHTLY MARIGOLD SAYS: “I was looking for Julian’s enemy.” “And now you’ve found me.” “I wanted you to help me to get rid of Julian.” “And that’s precisely what I’m going to do!”

CUT TO JULIAN’S MINIONS IN A CONTROL ROOM TRYING TO DETERMINE WHY MARIGOLD’S COLAR’S NO LONGER SENDING A SIGNAL.

CUT BACK TO THE CROCKER CASTLE. MARIGOLD GESTURES THAT SHE’S SUSPICIOUS OF ROVERY WHEN SHE NOTICES THAT MARC’S UNCONSCIOUS AND ASKS: “What’s wrong with Marc?” “Nothing, don’t be concerned he’s just napping.” MARIGOLD STANDS UP AND TRIES TO WALK BUT SHE’S VERY TIPSY. SHE MAKES IT OVER TO MARC AND CHECKS HIS PULSE AND SEES HE’S ALIVE. ROVERY THEN DEMANDS: “Tell me what happened in the last few days while you were visiting with Luis Martin.” “I… I was with my friend Nathan who’d taken me to a gorgeous house in Big Sur to celebrate my birthday.” “Just the two of you?” “Yes.” BINKY: “Is this the young, good-looking Nathan Menendez?” “Right.” “And how did you and Nathan celebrate?” “Well, we danced and then…” (Demanding) “And then!” “And then I blew out the candles on my birthday cake.” (Irritated and demanding) “And then!!” And then Nathan was about to take me to the bedroom but something happened.” (Almost angry) “What happened!” “Julian and his henchmen came into the house.” “Go on!” “So I attached myself to Nathan’s leg and Julian had his minion carry both of us to a limo and he made Nathan unconscious and we drove to the top of a hill and to an estate called “The Top of The World.” SEVERAL THUGS COME INTO THE ROOM AND GESTURE THEY’RE THERE TO DO WHAT ROVERY WANTS THEM TO DO. ROVERY TELLS THEM: “Take that boat,” POINTS TO A SPEED BOAT OUTSIDE IN THE WATER “and take this collar (HANDS ONE OF THEM MARIGOLD’S COLLAR) and drive north to San Francisco. When you’re near the Golden Gate Bridge use this device (HANDS IT TO THEM) to turn it on and then one of you go get on the bridge and drop this collar off the side of the bridge. Now go!” HE TURNS TO MARIGOLD: “Now, how did you get away from Julian?” “After he introduced me to his mother he put me back in the limo with Nathan and then he and the minion and driver went and started worshipping Julian’s mother who was on an alter.” “How did you see all this?” “Just out the front windshield of the limo.” “Continue.” “I got freaked out by it so I lowered the window in the back of the limo and me and Nathan climbed out and climbed over the gate and ran to the highway and hitchhiked and Luis picked us up.”

FLASHBACK TO A SERIES OF SCENES OF MARIGOLD’S DESCRIPTION OF WHAT HAPPENED WITH HER DESCRIBING IT IN V.O. “Did you go back to Nathan’s home?” “No, Luis took me to his home first as his Ferrari only had room for one.” “Did you spend the night?” “I fell asleep on his sofa. He took Nathan home and then took me back to the bungalow the next morning.” “Luis is one of Julian’s colleagues. Marigold, you’re a very lucky woman, Julian and his friends are all Occultists, which explains the strange ritual you saw. I’ve saved you from a horrible fate as they were getting ready to sacrifice you on their alter in a sexual ritual.” MARIGOLD SHUDDERS. “I’m probably the only man on this planet who can save you from Julian and his masters and minions. By having my men throw Julian’s collar off the Bridge Julian will likely think you’ve killed yourself and stop looking for you, but just in case he’s not fooled, we need to leave now.” “Where are we going?” “To my hideout, of course, where you’ll be safe from Julian.” MARIGOLD LEAVES WITH ROVERY AND MARC IS CARRIED BY A HENCHMAN.

CUT TO ROVERY, MARIGOLD AND MARC ABOARD A HELICOPTER HEADING SOUTH ALONG THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

CUT BACK TO THE DRIVEWAY WITH THE GATE THAT READS “Top of the World” AND PAN TO THE OUTSIDE OF A GORGEOUS HOUSE ON THE ESTATE.

CUT TO INSIDE THE ESTATE AND MAURICE IS AT THE WINDOW AND SEES THE HELICOPTER THAT MARIGOLD’S IN AS IT FLIES BY. HE GET’S A WEIRD FEELING THEN SHRUGS IT OFF. SEVERAL MEN COME RUSHING INTO THE ROOM AND EXCITEDLY REPORT TO JULIAN: “Marigold’s collar’s signaling that she’s in San Francisco near the Golden Gate Bridge.” “What!!! How’d she get there?” “Her collar stopped sending signals for a while and we were trying to fix it. JULIAN: “Get the hovercraft ready!”

CUT TO A HIGH-TECH HOVERCRAFT THAT GOES 300 MPH ON WATER, IT’S BLACK AND JULIAN AND HIS MINIONS RACE TO THE GG BRIDGE. WHEN THEY ARRIVE, JULIAN GIVES A MINION A SPECIAL DEVICE AND HE HOLDS IT OVER WHERE THE SIGNAL’S COMING FROM. THEY’RE EXPECTING MARIGOLD’S BODY BUT ONLY THE COLLAR COMES UP TO THE DEVICE. THE MINION WRAPS IT IN A SPECIAL PACKAGE AND HANDS IT TO JULIAN.

CUT BACK TO JULIAN’S MINION’S CONTROL ROOM AS THE DATA’S BEEN GATHERED FROM MARIGOLD’S COLLAR AND A MINION SAYS: “It has two sets of prints, Marigold’s. I’ll find out whose the others are right away.” “Don’t bother, there’s only one man who would dare to steal what’s mine. JULIAN LOOKS OVER TO MAURICE AND MARTIN AND AT THE SAME TIME THEY ALL SAY: “Del Rovery.”

CUT TO ROVERY AND MARIGOLD INSIDE OF A VOLKANO FORTRESS JUST AFTER THEY’VE LANDED STANDING OUTSIDE THE HELICOPTER. WE SEE A FAKE FACADE OF A VOLKANO SLIDE ACROSS THE RIDGE OF THE VOLCANO HIDING THEM AND THE HELICOPTER.